The Most Neglected Routine: Breathing Exercises
Why should people practice breathing exercises when everyone knows how to perfectly breathe even when their asleep? Let me ask you: Do you know how to breathe the correct way? I bet that you or most people you know don’t know how to maximize breathing. Not that you or the people you know don’t know how to breathe, it’s just that you or the people you know may be getting the full benefits of breathing by doing it the wrong way.
When we breathe, we’re doing one of the most critical movements in life. We’re helping our body organs to be well oxygenated for it to function normally and to continue living. Our brain needs more oxygen than any part of the body, but all the other organs have their own demands too.
Our organs like kidneys, liver, lungs, and muscles also require continuously supply of oxygen. Sad to say, most people only use less than 50% of their breathing capacity. Most breaths are so shallow that it won’t deliver enough of the needed oxygen to all organs.
This is why deep breathing exercises are designed. To let you fully maximized your breathing capacity, and provide all of your organs the oxygen that they need.
The Basic Breathing Exercise:
1. Always begin with breathing out or exhaling. If you can make a deep exhalation this will empties your lungs making them open for your deep inhalation. Remember that you need to breathe deeply into and out of your abdomen rather than your chest.
Breathing deeply with the use of your abdomen is a yoga technique. Place your hand on your navel and feel how your breath moves your belly.
2. Now, inhale! While inhaling start counting. Then exhale again while counting. What’s the use of counting? For you to make sure that your exhaling is longer than your inhaling. It doesn’t matter how quick you count as long as you count exhalation and inhalation at the same speed.
3. Avoid holding your breath at the two reversing points between exhaling – inhaling and inhaling – exhaling. Let the change happen as smoothly as possible.
Remember to always breathe through your nose and avoid breathing too fast. In cases of hyperventilation remember that you need keep your exhalation longer than inhalation. This basic breathing exercise doesn’t have a time requirement. Just make it a habit that every hour while you’re aware to make three deep breaths. Breathing makes you live, so improving your breathing is just like making your life better.
One of your breathing exercises is this “morning breathing routine”.
- Upon waking up, stay in your bed and breathe in. You have to turn on your stomach with your arms stretched over your head, while your face to either side or down. For seven times breathe slowly and deeply out and in through your nose. Keep your back stretched out when you breathe in. However, do not force yourself to breathe.
- Now turn on your back while keeping your legs stretched out and your arms still over your head. Again, breathe seven times slowly out and in without forcing your breath. Then place your arms loosely at your sides, and breathe another 7 times in the same manner.
While doing this morning breathing routine, never hold your breath. Make your breath a continuous flow out and in. You have to do this for less than five minutes. After doing this exercise, you’ll notice a sudden boost of energy making you want to get out of bed as soon as possible.
For more breathing exercises created by Dr. John Char, a nationally recognized holistic health practitioner in Hawaii, visit his breathing program here: 15 Minutes Breathing Exercises Program . You have been breathing for the rest of your lives; it’s not too late to do it the right way.
