Do you often hear people telling you ‘Breathe in, breathe out’ whenever you are angry or anxious? Or have you tried breathing in deep in between your work hours? If you have gone through the above situations, you are already acquainted with the benefits of deep breathing. Yes, deep breathing strengthens your diaphragm, lowers the stress level and provides instant relief to the brain and heart.
Let us find out some deep breathing exercises before jumping to the benefits of the same. Each of them may have inhale-exhale as a basic agenda but they all show different calming effects on human beings. If psychological effects of deep breathing are taken into account, you will find that they have gained popularity in the western world because of its immense benefits and optimism that it provides. Also known as belly breathing, it causes lungs to expand with air and belly to make movement naturally according to calm sage. As we breathe deep, the diaphragm contracts to create space in the chest and expansion of lungs happen.
Deep Breathing Exercises
- Starfish Breathing: Breath in to trace around your fingers while spreading it out like starfish. Hold for some time and exhale out while imagining that your thoughts are going out away.
- Mountain Breathing: As you breathe in, raise your arms above the head as high as possible (like a mountain) and exhale out with hands coming back to the chest.
- Bunny Breathing: Take three quick sniffs from your nose and exhale out deep from one nose only. It focuses on releasing breaths and helps in making focus better.
- Bubble Breathing: Imagine all your problems in one big bubble and take a deep breath. Now as you release your breath, imagine the bubble getting away from you.
- Flower & Candle: Make a fist of your right hand imagining that you are holding a flower. Now inhale the scent of the flower and exhale the way you blow a candle away.
- Balloon Breathing: Sit in a comfortable position, place your hands like blowing a balloon. It’s time to take deep breaths via nose and release the breath from your mouth. Spread your hands like you are blowing a balloon and as soon as this balloon is done, you can easily sway it off with exhalation.
- Bumblebee Breathing: It can be said as a type of pranayama and is done on the sound of bee’s buzzing. As soon as the body and mind is exposed to sounds of nature, your body stress comes down. All you need to do is sit in a comfortable position, place pointer fingers in your ears with eyes closed. Breathe through your nose and hum nicely when you breathe out.
After learning these deep breathing exercises to calm your mind and become mindful, it is time to learn the advantages of deep breathing. So what are they? Let’s figure them out!
Benefits of Deep Breathing
Improves Respiratory System
All the tension and stress that your diaphragm holds at the moment will be relieved as soon you practice breathing exercises. In fact, those who face issues like asthma and breathlessness can feel better after practicing them regularly. Moreover, the posture improves when the chest opens up and the spine erects.
Improves Cardiovascular System
A study shows that most of the heart attack patients did not breathe deep or involve diaphragmatic breath. Hence, those who continue with deep breathing exercises experience 50% reduction in cardiovascular diseases. Your cardiovascular system improves to a great extent.
Affects Mental State Positively
As your quality of breath improves, you become focused, concentrated and improves memorizing power. The intake of oxygen and feeling of being grounded relieves all the anxiety, depression and negativity in one go. It lets you imbibe passion and creativity like never before.
Makes You Look Beautiful
Believe it or not, this is one of the most amazing advantages of deep breathing exercises. A happy and smiling face is definitely more interesting than a stressed and sad looking face. The levels of serotonin and dopamine improves your mood that makes you look youthful like never before.
Improves Nervous System
Your mood gets into the relaxed state and nervous system is improved when breathing is done in the right manner. This is one of the best advantages of deep breathing. Along with the nervous system, the lymphatic system improves tremendously while protecting your body from bacteria and viruses from other threats.
Improves Digestion
The healthier your blood is; healthier your digestion becomes. Your organs function more smoothly, including intestine, and once digestion is improved, your whole body begins to function appropriately.
Lowers Blood Pressure
As we know that blood circulation improves to a great extent and blood vessels dilate, deep breathing exercises have the capacity to regulate the heartbeat and control the blood pressure. With that, the stamina is improved and body energy reaches a different level.
Releases Toxins
The best advantage of breathing exercises is that more than 70% of toxins are cut out from the body that could lead to multiple illnesses. We are already aware of the fact that carbon dioxide is a natural waste and thrusting it out improves your body’s metabolism.
Relieves Pain
Breathing can anticipate pain and makes it easy for you to experience life for better. The pain that is pinching your heart, mind and body will all be relieved as soon as you begin to practice breathing exercises.
Weight Control
When your intake oxygen deeply, you can easily burn down excess fat. Moreover, if you are a person having underweight, all the oxygen intake could make proper tissues and glands.
Conclusion
As we have learned that practicing deep breathing exercises have various benefits like strengthening muscles, controlling body weight and making you stronger in every sense, you also become mindful and focus on the concept of ‘Here & Now’. It also makes your mood better, heart stronger, lungs clean and overall body posture as per calm sage. When all the tensions could be removed as benefits of deep breathing, you become attentive and calm in your place.
