Breathing Techniques that Help Reduce Stress
Focused breathing exercises can help you relax and relieve the mounds of tension you’ve built up during the day. Today’s lifestyle and current events weigh heavily on us whether we realize it or not. This constant state of tension is often the precursor to other emotional problems including irritability, anger, and depression along with physical symptoms like headaches and stomachaches. Relaxation breathing can relieve these symptoms. What it also does is enable you to have a better quality sleep that leaves you feeling rested and rejuvenated. Think about this; you have 20,000 opportunities (breaths each day) to enhance your health and well-being by changing how you breathe.
Many techniques suggest different positions including: the prone position (on your stomach), lying on your back, sitting cross legged, sitting on your feet with your knees facing forward, or standing. The best position is the one that makes you comfortable. If you’re not comfortable, you’re not going to relax no matter how you breathe. You may also try periodically changing positions throughout your breathing exercises; in fact, some techniques recommend it.
Proper technique is next. Naturally we tend to take short shallow breaths. Breathing exercises involve taking longer, deeper, fuller breaths. This changes the percentage of carbon dioxide in our systems, putting us in a more relaxed state. To accomplish this be sure to breathe by pulling your stomach in and out (toward and away from your spine). You should also make sure your shoulders stay relaxed; if the shoulders are moving up and down, your breathing is too shallow. An appropriate deep breath should bring out the stomach, chest, and collar bone.
The appropriate deep breath is very slow. It’s best to allow about 5 to 6 seconds for each inhale and the same for each exhale; however, it’s more important for you to focus on your technique rather than your pace. Breathe in deeply through your nose, and exhale though your mouth. I’ve also read that a common technique is to tighten your throat when you exhale so it sounds as if you’re whispering; still haven’t got the hang of that one.
Do your best to focus your attention on the breathing. The point of breathing exercises is to clear your mind of stress, not give you a better opportunity to focus on it. In the beginning, the whole process may also seem a little silly. You’re likely to go through your laundry list of things you could be doing instead of counting your breaths. Just try to bring your mind back to the breathing when this happens. The more you do it the easier it will be to focus on your breathing and relaxation rather than the stress in your life.
Visualization is also helpful while you’re breathing deeply. Picture each muscle in your body and focus on it feeling relaxed. Once that part of your body is relaxed, you can move on to another part. Try to picture the stress physically pouring out of your body through your fingers and toes. Again, this may sound a little hokey, but you never know if it will work until you try it.
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