Breathing exercises are about the most natural and holistic health care
strategy you can find. The use of conscious breathing is the single most
effective, beneficial technique we can use to relieve pain and stress and
to relax. It is also non-toxic and costs us nothing.
Most of us never stop and think about what an amazing thing breathing is?
It is something we take for granted. Rarely do we stop and think about how it
is our life force and without it we would not be alive.
It's so simple and intrinsic to living that we never give it a second thought
and most of us are unaware that we don't know how to breathe properly.
We are taught at an early age to suck in our stomachs and puff out our
chests. This is in complete contradiction to proper
breathing. Breathing exercises that teach us conscious breathing will
help us unlearn these bad habits.
To breathe properly, when you inhale your abdomen
should protrude not your chest. When you exhale, your abdomen
should flatten. When you breathe in, you should breathe in through the nose, completely
until the lungs are full and when you exhale it should be until all air
is expelled. You should breathe deeply and
completely.
Breathing through your nose keeps the charge of energy in check,
increasing control and slowing your metabolism. Breathing through
your mouth increases the charge of energy and facilitates the discharge
of emotions. You may have noticed that when you are upset that
you breathe heavy sighs out through your mouth. This is not bad
during those times, because it helps expel the emotions, but it isn’t a
state you want to remain in consistently.
With breathing exercises where you breathe your nose as described above you can use
your breath to help relieve pain, boost energy, clarify and quiet the
mind, relieve tension, lesson the intensity of symptoms, relax, calm
and soothe the body and mind, quiet the soul and help you be more
spiritually connected. You will also oxygenate your body and
help your body to detoxify better and boost the immune system.
When you don’t breathe properly your body does not receive adequate
amounts of oxygen. This depletes your energy, allows toxins to
accumulate, weakens your immune system, clouds your head and
disconnects you from your spirituality.
Conscious Breathing Technique
Below is one of my favorite breathing exercises that I use
on a regular basis. It's the perfect tool for anyone wanting to
incorporate holistic health care into their life that costs absolutely nothing.
Lie down somewhere comfortable and close your eyes. You can have
some relaxing soothing music playing in the background if you prefer or
complete silence. Make yourself completely comfortable with
pillows or whatever and your arms at your sides. Loosen any tight
clothing.
Take a very deep breath in (using the proper breathing exercise above)
then exhale. Make sure you're breathing through your nose. Do this
several times until you begin to feel your body relax a little.
Try not to think about anything. Focus your mind completely on your
breath; flowing in and out with each breath. This is
conscious breathing at its best.
Now take another deep breath, and beginning
with the top of your head guide your breath to that area and using your
minds eye as you exhale, direct the breath into your head. With
the exhale, envision that the breath is penetrating into that area of
the body you are focusing on. Take another deep breath and this
time using your minds eye guide the breath into your face muscles, then
another deep breath into your jaw and eye muscles. You should
begin to feel little tingles as tension and pain melt away.
If tension is persistent and doesn’t loosen, then try tightening the area
by clenching and then releasing and then breathe into the area
again. It may take several attempts to grasp the conscious breathing
technique if this is new for you. It's easy to get distracted and let your
mind drift off into unwanted territory. As you practice breathing exercises
more frequently, it will become easier and quicker to attain.
After you begin to relax then do several deep breaths into the whole head,
face area and enjoy the sensation.
Now move to your shoulders and chest. Take a deep breath and on
exhale breathe into your shoulders and then another deep breath and
into the chest. After several deep breaths guided to these areas
imagine the breath is now radiating down the arms and into the fingers
as you breathe in deeply and exhale into the chest. Don't forget to make
sure you're breathing through your nose, when you're inexperienced
with breathing exercises it's very easy to slip back into your normal
pattern of breating without realizing it.
Then move to your abdomen and hips and again guide your deep breath on
exhales into each of them. As they begin to relax, imagine the
breath is now radiating down the legs and into the feet and toes as it
flows into the abdomen. Again, if any particular area is
resisting, then tense it up by clenching and release it and breathe
into it again until it releases.
Now the whole body should be relaxed and pain minimized; your mind
should be calmer and you feel peaceful. Stay lying in this
position for a while and continue to breathe deep breaths through your nose and guiding
the exhales into the center of your body and radiating out to each and every
part of your body, enjoying the sensation of complete relaxation. You may get
up when you feel ready.
I have found these breathing exercises to work best when I can close my
eyes, but it is also very helpful at other times. After you
become more skilled at it, you will be able to use it while your are
driving, at the computer, in a conversation or wherever you may be, but
of course you can’t close your eyes at those times.
All three breathing exercises can be used individually as needed
throughout your day during times of pain, stress or disharmony.
If you are experiencing a headache, migraine, or pain in any particular
area of your body, you can use conscious breathing to guide the breath into
that particular area. This works great as a pain and stress
reliever and will help you to be able to function better within the
pain or other symptoms you may be experiencing.
For more great holistic self-care tips and strategies you may want to check out
"Finding Life Fulfillment when Living with Chronic Illness.
