Our last article was dedicated to respiratory therapy. We were discussing what it can help with, what are the methods used in therapy and its benefits. In this article you will find four simple breathing exercises that you can try at home.
Breath is the very essence of our life. It is with us through nights and days, we do not think about breathing and oftentimes we take it for granted. Yet it can cause us difficulties. Everything that is going on – our current emotional state, health condition and general mental state are reflected in our breath.
When performing breathing exercises, we activate and at the same time relax all the muscles involved in breathing, the muscles of the chest and shoulder girdle and the muscles of the core, which help us maintain our posture.
These exercises can help you relax, but also relieve back pain or headaches. They can also help you sleep better and more deeply.
The following breathing techniques will be most pleasant for you to try in a quiet place where you feel comfortable, in loose clothing. But it will be great even if you find a moment for yourself over the course of a hectic day. Just a few minutes is all it takes.
Choose a position in which you can relax, one of the best positions is lying on your back with your knees bent. If you choose to sit, try to keep your spine straight, your shoulders relaxed and your chest open. If you find it difficult to keep your spine straight, you can lean on something.
For some it will be pleasant to practice the following exercises with closed eyes, but this is not necessary.
We should think of the breath as a continuous process, not as a series of repetitions.
Exercise no. 1
Exercise no. 2
Exercise no. 3
Exercise no. 4
Practice makes perfect. Ideally, you should practice these exercises about 5 to 10 minutes every day.
Just give it a try and you will be pleasantly surprised what positive changes you can observe just after couple days of being consistent!