Breathing exercises
to help you stay
energized and relaxed.

Breathing exercises help you become aware of your breathing. Focus on breathing can help you relax, energize yourself, and give you a clear state of mind.

Here are a few breathing exercises to try...

Deep Breathing, Abdominal Breathing

It raises the oxygen level in your blood and raises energy in the body.

• Sit or lie comfortably with loose garments
• One hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach
• Focus on slowly inhaling through your nose or through your pursed lips
• Breathe deep enough to feel your stomach expand with your hand (like a balloon that is being blown up)
• Slowly exhale through your pursed lips (helps regulate the air)
• Exhalation is twice as long as inhalation
• Rest and repeat

Pay attention to your reactions of fear, stress anger or anxiety, you can feel the inhale and then the holding of the breath.

Exhalation is what alerts the body that it can relax and resume body functions. A lot of us are not even aware of our diaphragm and that it's the primary breathing muscle.

Babies and animals are good examples of this, watch their bellies when they are sleeping. They are not into the increasing stress of modern life and the over-stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. They don't carry tension in the belly, chest and back which makes it difficult for the diaphragm to move freely through its full range of motion.

The diaphragm is a sheet of muscle going across the bottom of the rib cage and has important functions with breathing and respiration. It contracts when inhaling, making the thoracic cavity larger and creating a suction that draws air into the lungs. The diaphragm relaxes and air is exhaled.

It is also important for increasing abdominal pressure for expelling body waste and preventing acid reflux. Hiccups come from the diaphragm contracting involuntarily. When struck hard enough to spasm, and you have difficulty breathing, that's where the saying "having the wind knocked out of you" comes from.

Bellows Breath

The Stimulation Breathing Exercise. A yoga breathing technique to raise vital energy and increase alertness (instead of a cup of coffee). This is a noisy one.

Mouth closed and relaxed
• Inhale and exhale rapidly through the nose
• Short breath, the same length in and out
• Try to do three in-and-out breath cycles per second
• Breathe normally after each cycle, 15 seconds for the first time, you can add 5 seconds as you practice until you get to a full minute

When you are doing this exercise, you should feel the effort at the back of your neck, the diaphragm, the chest and abdomen. The rapid breathing produces a quick movement of the diaphragm. Invigorating and comparable to the heightened awareness you feel after a good workout.

Relaxing Breath

Everyone can benefit from this one. A natural tranquilizer for the nervous system, you will notice it more as you continue the practice (unlike caffeine and tranquilizing drugs that lose their effectiveness over time).

Do it at least twice a day, for the first month and no more than four breaths at one time. After that, you can work your way up to eight breaths. You may feel lightheaded at the beginning, it should pass.

• Sit with your back straight
• Put the tip of your tongue on the top of the inside of your mouth behind the upper front teeth through the entire exercise
• Exhale completely through your mouth, around your tongue (pursing your lips slightly may help) making a whooshing sound
• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four
• Hold your breath for a count of seven
• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight (this is one breath)
• Inhale again and repeat the cycle 3 more times for a total of 4 breaths

You always inhale quietly through your nose and exhale audibly through your mouth. The exhalation is twice as long as the inhalation.

With practice you can slow the 4-7-8 down and get used to inhaling and exhaling more deeply. Use it when you are feeling upset and before you react to a problem. It's also good for internal tension and to help you fall asleep.

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Breath counting

A breathing exercise used in Zen practice. A deceptively simple technique. Never count higher than five and only on the exhale.

• Sit in a comfortable position with back straight and head slightly forward
• Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths
• Let the breath come naturally without trying to influence it
• Ideally it will be quiet and slow
• Depth and rhythm may vary
• Exhale counting one to yourself
• Next time you exhale, count to two
• Then 3,4 and 5
• Begin a new cycle counting one on the exhalation
• Try to do for 10 minutes

These breathing exercises are great for getting in tune with your body. My husband and I learned these exercises while practicing yoga with our instructor, Erica Boucher. Try them out and see how great you feel!

Here's more great information on Reiki healing, stress management techniques and alternative therapies.

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