The Benefits of Breathing Exercises | 3 Techniques to Try Today!

Hi guys!

I was completely overwhelmed with all the positive feedback I got on my Real Talk video a couple weeks ago. Thank you for taking the time to leave me positive messages and love. For those of you who didn’t watch, I went over some things I do to get me through hard times and I briefly mentioned that I like to breathe. And I know what you’re thinking—Remi, everyone breathes, but hear me out! Today I’ll be going over some of the benefits to incorporating breathing exercises in your life, and three techniques you can practice today!

Breathing exercises are pretty commonly practiced in yoga, meditation, and even in therapy because the benefits from them are undeniable! I did my research, and this is what I found.

Breathing Techniques Can:

Improve Blood Circulation | When taking deep breaths the up and down motion of the diaphragm helps remove toxins from the better promoting better blood flow.

Reduce Inflammation | It’s said that deep breathing can reduce the acidity in your body, thereby making it alkaline. Stress increases acidity level in the body. So breathing also reduces stress and thus the acidity.
Detoxify the Body | Carbon dioxide is a natural toxic waste that comes out from our body only through breathing. Our lungs can be compromised by shallow breathing making the other detoxification system starts working harder to expel this waste. This can make our body weaker and lead to illness.
Increase Energy Levels | Breathing increases the oxygen level in your blood, increasing circulation. More Oxygen = More Energy.
Improve Digestion | The increased blood flow from deep breathing also encourages intestinal action which further improves your overall digestion. Deep breathing also results in a calmer nervous system which enhances optimal digestion.
Relax the Mind & Body | When you are stressed, angry, or tense your muscles constrict and your breathing becomes shallow. This means your body is not getting the required amount of oxygen to perform to its potential. Breathing exercises reverse this effect resulting in a relaxed mind and body.

Here are 3 techniques you can practice when you feel like you need a breather. While you read I suggest giving it a try!

Sama Vritti or Equal Breathing

This one, in particular, is my favorite! It’s commonly practiced in yoga. And I do this EVERY morning!

Slowly inhale through your nose for 4 counts
Pause
Slowly exhale through your nose for another 4 counts.
Pause
Repeat

Be sure your breaths are controlled and you’re really letting that air fill your diaphragm.

It’s also good to do before bed to help you relax and calm your mind if you’re having trouble sleeping.

Abdominal Breathing

This technique is one of the easiest to do, and can reduce stress significantly at any given time.

Place one hand on your chest & the other on your stomach
Feel your hand on your stomach move as your inflate your diaphragm with air
Slowly release your breath
Repeat

For this technique you really want to make sure your diaphragm is filling with enough air, not your chest, so you can feel your lungs stretch as you inhale. Try to take at least 6-8 deep breathes.

Skull Shining Breath

This is really good to practice if you feel like you’re holding in tension or need to shake off negative energy.

Take a long slow breath in
Quickly and powerfully let out an exhale from your diaphragm
Repeat

When you let your breath come out quickly with a powerful force it’s normal to make a sound, and sometimes the more energy you put into it the better you feel. It’s almost like you feel the negative energy leave your body!

If you’ve been following along with the breathing exercises, do you feel the difference yet? Your mind should be clear, you body should feel relaxed, and overall you should be feeling calmer. I also want to make a point that these exercises are a practice you could incorporate to make the everyday feel easier to manage. This will not solve your problems, and if you have health issues you should speak to a professional about it. Thank you for making it this far, comment below if you feel like this is something you’ll be trying out or share your favorite breathing technique for me to try!

Until next time