Breathing Techniques For Exercise

The wise old saying – “breath is soul of life; breathing is living” – holds the gist that breathing is nub of life; you can't live without breathing, which is very important for healthy living. There are several breathing exercises that help you live healthy life. Breathing exercises facilitate more oxygen and blood flow all thru your body. This brings down blood pressure level; stimulate metabolic process, helps digestion, and liberates stress around the organs.

Megan McCarver, a certified massage therapist and originator of YogaEverywhere.com, and a Hatha yoga instructor in Southern California , says, “Calm, cognizant breathing facilitates most favorable fitness by letting your body to work at its normal rapidity and rhythm. Conscious breath instantly brings your mind's concentration to the present. When you can combine with the moment, you can 'go with the flow.' This method of relinquishing advances a feeling of recovery or easiness.”

Healthy breathing techniques have lots of benefits that improve your sleeping pattern, helps in pacifying the mind, nerves and emotion, betters all mental processes, supplies more oxygen to the body cells and helps to triumph over fatigue and to revitalize energy. Here are some breathing techniques for exercise:

Nadi Sodhana (Alternate-Nostril Breathing) – In Alternate-Nostril Breathing, you close your right nostril with your right thumb and breathe in thru your left nostril. After that, you close your left nostril by your right ring finger and little finger, and simultaneously remove your thumb from the right nostril and breathe out through it. Then, breathe in through the right nostril, then close the right nostril with your right thumb and breathe out thru the left nostril. This Alternate-Nostril Breathing exercise is called “Anuloma Viloma Pranayama” in yoga. This breathing exercise helps in improving nervous system and preventing several sleeping disorders. This is beneficial for the patients of asthma and diabetes.

Cleansing Breath – Cleansing breath helps bringing in good energy and clears out any negativity that might have accumulated in your body. In this breathing exercise, you breathe in fully through the nose and fill your belly with good, and breathe out fully via the mouth and breathe out negative. In yoga, “Bhastrika” and “Kapalabhati” pranayamas (breathing exercises) are the breathing technique used specifically for cleansing. Serving as a basis for many breathing exercises, Bhastrika primarily consists of forced rapid deep breathing. Often, you can breathe through your mouth or both mouth and nose. Kapalabhati is expelling air and all wastes by short, rapid, and strong breathing out, using lungs as pump. Breath Cleansing is helpful when you feel heavy or foggy in the head, or if you have problems with the sinuses or feel numb around the eyes.

Abdominal Breathing Technique – in this exercise, you place one hand on chest and the other on your stomach. When you take a deep breath in, the hand on the belly will go up more than the one on your chest. This assures that the contraceptive diaphragm is pulling air into the lungs bases. After breathing out thru your mouth, take a slow deep breath in via your nose thinking that you are taking up all the air present in the room and then hold it for a count of 7, then gradually breathe out thru your mouth for a count of 8. As all the air is freed with ease, softly compress your abs to relinquish the remaining air from the lungs. Repeat the process four times for a total of 5 deep breaths and try to breathe at a rate of one breath every 10 seconds. This breathing exercise is good for heart and lungs.

Imaginative Breathing – for this exercise, lie on a carpet on the ground in a relaxed position. Put your hands soothingly on your coeliac plexus and do deep, calm breathing for a few minutes. Think that, with each incoming breath of air, energy is getting into your respiratory organs and being instantly stacked away in your solar plexus. Imagine that as you breathe out, this energy is effusing to all body parts. Do the same process daily for at least five to ten minutes a day. This is good for you psyche, heart, and lung.

Complete Breath Exercises – sit up in a straight position and then breathe out. After that, you breathe in and, simultaneously, relax your belly muscles. Feel like the stomach is filling with air. After filling up the stomach, keep breathing in. Fill up the center of your chest. Feel your upper body and rib cage enlarge. Hold the breath for a minute, and then start to breathe out as slowly as possible. As the air is gradually releasing, lighten up your chest and rib cage. Start to pull your stomach in to force out the remaining breath. You may do it for about 5 minutes. This breathing exercise helps improving your respiratory system.