09 Jan Breath training & relaxation
Breathing is fundamental to life. We do it some 16 times a minute without giving it a second thought. Yet most of us simply don’t know how to breathe properly.
Our breathing tends to be shallow, using only a small percentage of our total lung capacity. Learning abdominal breathing lets us take in more oxygen and increases the pressure differences throughout your body. This will improve drainage of your head and extremities and enliven your metabolism, releasing energy and giving you a sense of wellbeing.
If you often feel lethargic, in spite of getting a good nights sleep, tense or mentally exhausted, it could be the way you breathe. Therefore the following techniques should help you achieve a huge improvement in your mental and physical health.
BreathTraining
o Lie on back
o Be aware of current breathing pattern
With one hand on upper abdomen & the other on chest
Notice the pathway of the air
Do not alter the breath at this stage (observation only)
(Odds are your attention will wander, just return your focus back to the movement of each breath)
o With slow deep breaths, where inhalation equals exhalation plus a pause in between
o Breath into the abdomen x 5, with hands over stomach
o Breath into diaphragm x 5, with hands over lateral lower ribs
o Breath into chest x 5, with hands on upper chest
o Resume normal breathing with hands by sides and palms facing up