Breathing exercises that relieve you from the emotional strain

Stress and anxiety can affect anyone, from small children to the adults or seniors. Breathing exercises can help to release the tension and give self a sense of calmness. According to the American Medical Student Association, short and long-term physical and emotional health can be improved with breathing techniques. In addition to relaxation, breathing exercise can help prevent fatigue and improve overall health.

Don’t let the stress accumulate within; practice breathing exercises to be less stressed in everyday life. Some of the most helpful breathing techniques to calm you down are as follows. 

Full Breath Exercise

As the name suggests, full breath exercise is about taking a full, deep breath. One has to lie on a flat surface, breathe through your nose. As you breathe, both your chest and your abdomen should rise and fall. After observing your breathing, begin moving your breathing into your abdomen. Chest stays still,  the belly only moves in and out when you breathe. Next, try to breathe deeply without straining your muscles or exerting pressure on your breath. Once you do this, fill breath to your abdomen and then breathe into your chest. When you exhale, let your chest unload first and then abdomen. Breathe a little bit slower with each one and it shall bring you calmness. Deep breathing is the key to relaxation; it sends a message to the brain to relax the rest of the body. 

Counting Exercise

Counting exercise gives you more control over your breathing. An easy way to perform the exercise – count three as you inhale, three as you hold it in and three as you exhale. When you’ve exhaled, don’t hold your breath but inhale again. You can use any number; just ensure that there have to be the same lengths of inhaling, holding and exhaling. As you get control over exercise, slow down your counting or add more beats to take deeper breaths. 

Abdominal Breathing

You need to put the right hand on your abdomen and left on your chest. Breathe in and hold it in for some time. See if your right-hand rises higher than the left; it’s an indication that the diaphragm is pulling air into the base of your lungs. You exhale through your mouth but breathe in through your nose. Each cycle of breaths should last 8-10 seconds. 

4-7-8 Exercise

Touch upper front teeth with tongue's tip. Exhale through your mouth, inhale through your nose for three seconds with your mouth closed. Hold breath for three seconds and then exhale through your mouth. Repeat the cycle for three to five times.

Over time, you gain control over your breathing and it gets easier for you to relax and create a state of calm. Breathing techniques not only energise your body and provide a calming influence which alleviates stress but render many health benefits. You regulate blood pressure, circulation, heart rate, digestion and other bodily functions when you practice breathing exercises. Breathing exercises can also be used to strengthen respiratory muscles.