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How can I learn to breathe better?
Breathing is a well-being ally that is too often neglected. It is especially in case of stress, or when we feel strong emotions that our respiration becomes irregular. When something makes you anxious or irritated, you will find that your breathing becomes faster and jerkier. It's hard to concentrate on your respiration at such a time, you might say! And yet, that's where it all starts. Become aware of your it, so that you can act bring back inner calm.
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4 Exercises to improve your respiration
1. Abdominal breathing: Ideal to chase away anxiety.
Put your hands on your stomach to feel the comings and goings of your breath. First, breathe in through your nose, inflating your stomach, then slowly exhale through your mouth, tucking your stomach in. Completely empty the air from your lungs. Repeat this exercise until you feel better.
Results: Less stress, negative thoughts and fatigue. This type of breathing also oxygenates the brain and eliminates toxic waste accumulated in the body.
2. Chest breathing: Perfect for feeling liberated
This time around, we need to get up. Feet well anchored in the ground, you hold your back straight and pull your shoulders backwards. Raise your arms at chest level, towards the front. Breathe in slowly through your nose while spreading your arms apart as if you were opening a window. Keep the air in your lungs, then while bringing your arms back, as if you were closing the window, exhale through your mouth. Do this exercise at least 3 times.
Results: Less tension and feeling of oppression. This exercise allows you to free yourself and to better manage your emotions.
3. Cardiac coherence: Better emotion management
Cardiac coherence is very effective. It is an exercise that allows you to control your breathing and the frequence of your heartbeat.
First breathe in deeply through your stomach for 3 seconds, hold the air in your lungs for 12 seconds and then exhale as deeply as possible (until you are out of breath) through your mouth for 6 seconds. During this exercise try to focus on your heart by imagining that your breath is passing through it.
Results: Cardiac coherence is ideal for regulating stress and balancing emotions.
4. Express relaxation: Because sometimes you have to be quick!
What about when a stress blow occurs without warning? It is necessary to lower the pressure quickly? Then start by breathing in by inflating the stomach. Then exhale slowly through your mouth, as if through a straw. The relaxation will be faster there if the exhalation is long. During this time, concentrate on your chin to relax your face, your shoulders to relax your neck and back, and your abdomen to relax your stomach. Try to become aware of the relaxation that is happening in these areas.
Results: Decrease in tension, regulation of the emotion and the stress.
Editor's note - Breathing through the stomach will improve everythingBreathing through the thorax does not allow us to use all of our breathing capacity. The result is more fatigue and we lose all the benefits of breathing. To make breathing its ally, it must pass through the stomach. Lie down, put one hand on your stomach and another on your chest. Take a breath, if your chest rises first, you are breathing through your chest. To learn to breathe through your stomach, lie down and take a small breath (1 second) then exhale (3 seconds) while pushing on your stomach. Help yourself by placing your hand on your belly and repeat the operation about ten times. |
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