Improper breathing can result in a lack of oxygen in your body. The proper breathing when you exercise can increase your stamina to make exercise more comfortable. When you use breathing to help you relax, breathing exercises can give you control over your oxygen level and how you feel. Understanding the correct breathing techniques for both applications can help you apply proper breathing to either situation. Breathing techniques help increase oxygen intake so you generally feel better.
Purpose
By mastering the proper breathing techniques for both exercise and rest, you supply your body with the optimum amount of oxygen that it needs to function in either capacity. While exercising, creating the ideal cadence with your breath can help give you the stamina you need to keep going. While resting, proper breathing technique can help you relax and fight anxiety so that you enter a more relaxant state. Similar breathing techniques can be used for both applications.
Abdominal Breathing
Abdominal breathing is the basis for a variety of breathing techniques and the first step to leaning other breathing exercises. Abdominal breathing refers to the pull of oxygen into the belly, rather than the chest only. To practice abdominal breathing, lie on the floor with your hand over your belly. Breathe in deeply, allowing your hand to move with the flow of oxygen into your belly. If your hand doesn't rise, you may not be pulling enough oxygen into your body with each breath.
Running Cadence
Creating a running cadence can help your stamina while exercising, and it's fairly easy. Choose a number of counts for inhaling and a number of counts for exhaling. For instance, a common runner's cadence is breathing in for three counts and out for two. Then, that cadence can be maintained through counting steps or listening to rhythmic music, which can help you breathe more rhythmically. Find the breathing cadence that is right for you by testing out various breath ratios while exercising.
Imaginative Breathing
Imaginative breathing is used for relaxation and anxiety reduction purposes. By imagining the breath coming into your body and restoring your sense of calm, you can employ cleaning, imaginative breaths as a breathing technique anytime you feel stressed out. Lie down or sit back in a comfortable position, breathing in. As you breathe, imagine the oxygen entering your body and being stored in your solar plexus, where your ribs begin to separate. Imagine the flow restoring calm and energy back to your body.
