Breathing Exercises: A Breath to Cope with Stress
Breathing exercises are a method of calming down that allows us to use the oxygen we ingest more efficiently. It is possible to achieve a calm mood with breathing exercises that help us relieve stress. This technique, which relaxes our mind, ensures that our breathing is also beneficial to our body. Breathing exercises, which we often hear about, are among the most popular practices today.
Are We Breathing Correctly?
Breathing exercises aim to make breathing efficient by using our diaphragm muscle. We can breathe correctly by using our diaphragm, without putting a load on our chest. We see that babies’ bellies swell when they breathe. Although it is replaced by chest breathing in later ages, the purpose of breathing exercises is to re-adapt to our breathing in infancy. It’s pretty easy to test whether we’re breathing correctly. How Does?
1) Place one hand on your chest.
2) Place your other hand just below your ribcage, this is where our diaphragm is located.
3) Start breathing.
If your abdomen expands when you inhale and falls when you exhale, it means you are breathing correctly. If your rib cage is swollen, you can start diaphragmatic breathing exercises.
Taking only abdominal breathing is a common mistake. Likewise, performing it only with chest breathing indicates incorrect breathing.
What is Reverse Breathing?
The first rule of correct breathing is that the abdominal area first inflates and falls as soon as the breath is exhaled. If the abdomen swells when exhaling, it is called inversion. The breath that starts in our belly should move towards our chest. We must get rid of our choppy, shallow and fast breathing habits and have a fluent breath.
How Can We Practice Breathing Exercises?
There are many breathing exercises that help us get away from stress. Let’s take a look at the most effective of these:
Diaphragmatic Breathing
1) First, sit in a chair where you feel comfortable.
2) Let your breath circulate around your waist.
3) Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
4) Calmly apply for about 3 minutes, continuing to repeat.
As we get used to breathing from the diaphragm, we can improve our breathing exercises. When we feel ready, we can move on to the next step. As for the second stage, where we may have a little more difficulty…
4-7-8 Breath
1) Lie down on a yoga mat.
2) Count to 4 while taking a deep breath around your waist.
3) Hold your breath while counting from 1 to 7.
4) Count from 1 to 8 while exhaling completely. You can repeat it 3 times in the beginning, and 7 times as you get used to the exercise.
Another breathing exercise that allows us to get maximum efficiency is a method that we can try in the supine position.
1) Place your left hand on your stomach and your right hand on your chest.
2) Try to breathe into the lower part of your lungs so that your left hand moves upward while your right hand remains stationary. Repeat 8 or 10 times.
3) After the repetition, breathe into the lower part of your lungs and fill the remaining breath into your chest. As you do this, you will notice that your right hand goes up and your left hand goes down with your belly. You can practice this breathing exercise for 3-5 minutes.
Morning Breath
One of the ways to start a day that will make you feel peaceful and calm is to do a breathing exercise when you wake up.
What you need to do for this exercise that will relax your muscles and body:
1) Stand in an upright position.
2) Bend your knees slightly and bend forward, leaving your arms relaxed as if you want to touch the ground.
3) As you stand up, take a deep breath slowly and finally lift your head.
4) While standing, hold your breath for a few seconds.
5) Exhale slowly as you return to the position where you bent your knees.
How Often Should We Practice Breathing Exercises?
The way we use oxygen, which is our source of life, allows us to breathe more accurately as long as we include exercises in our lives. According to breathing coaches, if we do it every day, we will reach the point where we can get the best efficiency. If we can make it a part of our daily life, we can effectively feel the physical and mental benefits of breathing exercises.
What are the Benefits of Breathing Exercises?
With breathing exercises that make us feel alive, energetic and vigorous, we actually breathe more balanced and slower. It makes you feel fit by regulating blood pressure and ensuring efficient intake of oxygen. Breathing exercises, which are thought to contribute to the renewal of cells, also play a role in helping us achieve bright and healthy skin. It also helps our intestines, which are considered our second brain, to function properly.
Do Breathing Exercises Reduce Stress?
Breathing exercises are often used to reduce anxiety in various mental problems such as anxiety and panic attacks. It has become a technique recommended by psychologists as an aid to therapy. We may breathe incorrectly not only because of worrying events, but also because of the excitement of moments of happiness. When we are calm, we notice that our breathing is quite regular.
Yogis, who think that the mind is a reflection of the breath, draw attention to its effect on anxiety. They say that the more rapid our breathing, the more complex our minds are. In our daily lives, we must have heard someone saying “Wait a minute, take a deep breath first” to someone who is in a hurry or angry.
Even if we don’t know the importance of breathing correctly, we try to practice it internally to relax. Just as our body affects our mood, how we feel affects our body. It is very important to use our breath correctly to calm down mentally.
Are Breathing Exercises Harmful?
There are only points to pay attention to in these studies, which do not cause any harm. Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth is always the recommended method. When we breathe through our mouth, we can put too much pressure on our lungs. We should avoid trying to breathe more whenever we feel uncomfortable.
When we inhale more air than necessary, we may become dizzy and experience undesirable consequences, including neurological symptoms. We must be careful to breathe balancedly and as we need it. In this way, we can observe the benefits of the breathing exercises we perform.
Who Should Practice Breathing Exercises?
The harmony of our breathing with the natural flow reveals our balanced stance towards life. Although we breathe correctly when we are born, the fears and anxieties we experience disrupt this harmonious process over time. The breathing technique that most of us forget and do not pay attention to is very effective in making us feel good. Considering that our arch enemy is stress, we all need breathing exercises. By applying it at the end of the day or when we wake up, we can have a much calmer day.
When we do it routinely, we can see its benefits more clearly. It can be our source of healing when we feel nervous, anxious, and restless. In this way, we can get through our difficult moments more easily. If we want to reach the tranquility in our dreams, it is time to listen to our breathing…