Guided breathing exercises boast many health benefits, like stress relief and relaxation. According to the “Anxiety and Phobia Workbook,” a few long-term benefits of regular practice of deep relaxation include decrease in heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, skeletal muscle tension, metabolic rate, oxygen consumption, analytical thinking and an increase in skin resistance and alpha wave activity in the brain. Talk to your doctor about guided breathing exercises, especially if you suffer from a respiratory condition. Take a break from the exercise if you begin to feel dizzy or lightheaded.
Pranayama
Pranayama—or yoga breathing—is the art of breath control utilized in the practice of yoga. There are many pranayama poses that can be learned in yoga. Pranayama focuses on the four stages of breathing—inhalation, full pause, exhalation and empty pause. Pranayama acknowledges these four stages of breathing and different exercises focus on lengthening and manipulating them for health benefit. Basic forms of yoga breathing include abdominal breathing, chest breathing, and full yogic breathing.
Dr. Andrew Weil
Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D., is a holistic practitioner who teaches three breathing exercises—the stimulating breath, the 4-7-8 exercise and breath counting. The stimulating breath is a noisy breathing exercise that involves three quick in-and-out breath cycles per second. The 4-7-8 breathing exercise involves inhaling for four seconds, holding the breath for seven seconds and then completely exhaling for eight seconds. The breath counting exercise involves counting each exhalation up until the fifth, then starting over.
Abdominal Breathing
Abdominal breathing focuses on breathing deeper and promoting relaxation. This exercise involves placing the hand on the belly and inhaling from the “bottom” of the lungs, causing the abdomen to rise when inhaling. You can feel this with your hand. Pause for a moment. Then exhale slowly, deflating the abdomen back to its original position.
Calming Breath
The calming breath exercise is adapted from yoga. Inhale slowly from the abdomen for a count of five. Pause for a count of five. Exhale for a count of five. Take two normal breaths and repeat the exercise for three to five minutes. You can say the words “relax,” “calm,” or “let go” while exhaling to encourage relaxation.
Belly Breath
The belly breath exercise focuses on deep breathing and cleansing the lungs. Lie flat on your back and place your palms on your stomach at the base of your ribcage with your middle fingers barely touching. Take a slow and deep breath, expanding your stomach and spreading the middle fingers apart. Repeat this exercise for five minutes. According to the Center on Aging Studies Without Walls, this exercise makes full use of the lungs.
References
- "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook"; Edmund J. Bourne, PhD; 2005
- Andrew Weil, MD: Breathing--Three Exercises
- Center on Aging Studies Without Walls: Breathing Exercises
- ABC-Of-Yoga.com: Pranayama
- HealthandYoga.com: Learn Breathing... The Yoga Way
