Breathing exercises: What are they and how can they be practiced?

What Are Breathing Exercises?

Deep breathing is one of the best methods to help reduce stress in the body. But how does it work?

When you breathe deeply, signals are sent to the brain indicating that it can relax and calm down. The brain then sends signals to the body to relax as well. As a result, you may notice the following:

• Reduced heart rate.
• The ability to take a deep inhale and a deep exhale.
• A sense of mental calmness.

This means that the way we breathe affects the entire body, highlighting the importance of breathing exercises.

Breathing exercises are effective for relaxation and reducing stress and anxiety. The great thing about them is that they can be done anywhere and at any time.

Note: Did you know that when you feel stressed or anxious, your body responds in various ways, including an increased heart rate, faster breathing, and potentially higher blood pressure?

A Set of Breathing Exercises

Given the importance of breathing exercises, Tawazon offers a set of simple and easy-to-follow exercises:

1- Belly Breathing

Belly breathing is one of the most common and easy breathing exercises. You can practice it anytime you need to relax or reduce stress.

Follow these steps:

• Sit comfortably or even lie down.
• Place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest.
• Inhale deeply through your nose, letting your belly push your hand outward, while keeping your chest still.
• Exhale through pursed lips as if whistling. Notice your belly hand moving inward.
• Repeat 3 to 10 times.

2- 4-7-8 Breathing

There are various types of breathing exercises, so we recommend trying them to find the one that best suits your mood and needs.

You can perform this exercise sitting or lying down. To do it:

• Place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest, as in the belly breathing exercise.
• Inhale deeply and slowly from your belly, counting silently to 4.
• Hold your breath while counting silently from 1 to 7.
• Exhale completely while counting silently from 1 to 8.
• Repeat 3 to 7 times or until you feel calm.

3- Morning Breathing Exercise

Try this exercise upon waking in the morning, before doing anything else.

This exercise helps reduce muscle stiffness and eases the airways.

• Stand and bend forward at the waist with slightly bent knees, letting your arms hang near the ground.
• As you inhale slowly and deeply, roll back up to a standing position, finishing by lifting your head.
• Hold your breath for a few seconds in this standing position.
• Exhale slowly as you bend forward again at the waist.

Note: It is important to move slowly during this exercise to avoid dizziness.