Andrew Weil, M.D., renowned author and health care pioneer, asserts that "Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders." Hypertension (high blood pressure) falls into this category, as well. Researchers A. Grossman and E. Grossman, in a 2003 study examining the possibilities of lowering blood pressure through deliberate breathing, found that "Deep and slow breathing increase baroreflex sensitivity and heart rate variability, improve small vessels blood flow, and decrease peripheral resistance, thereby leading to BP reduction." Breathing exercises that reduce hypertension may allow sufferers to self-manage the condition to a certain degree, lessening the needs for invasive treatment and prescription medication.
Abdominal Breathing
Sit in an upright posture, keeping your neck and back in a straight line. Pulling from the abdomen, breathe in through your nose quickly and fully. Allow your belly to expand as air moves in, then permit that expansion to spread upward into your chest. Breathing in this way relieves tension from the chest cavity. As pressure within the part of your chest that houses the heart and lungs becomes lower than that of the outside environment, blood pressure diminishes. Exhale slowly. Do not push or force the air out of your lungs. Simply let go, and release the air naturally. Also, avoid stopping short while breathing out. Allow the lungs to expel as much air as comfortably possible. Throughout the exercise, breathing on the exhale must remain smooth and deliberate. Repeat this exercise many times throughout the day.
Breathing to Music
This technique makes use of soft, easy music as a means to facilitate relaxation in the body. Turn on some music that will sustain a slow, rhythmic tempo for several minutes. Find a position where you can sit or lie back comfortably. Slow your breathing. Inhale and exhale fully on each turn, pausing momentarily in between. Breathe in for a count of three seconds, and out for six. As you relax more and more, continue to slow your breathing accordingly. Continue breathing in this way for 15 to 20 minutes.
Visual Breathing
Sit upright in a comfortable position. Begin to breathe slowly through the nose. Focus entirely on your breathing. Become mindful of how the air feels entering your lungs. Track the flow as it comes in through the nostrils, moves along your windpipe, finally filling and expanding the chest cavity. Continue to draw your awareness inward in this manner, until you feel a sense of relaxation building within your body. Imagine that relaxation to have a color, and allow that color to spread throughout the rest of your body. Picture that relaxation penetrating every cell and fiber, sending you into a place of inner peace and stillness. Once you are completely enveloped by that relaxing energy, simply continue resting in this way for 15 minutes.
