Many people underestimate the importance of proper breathing techniques. In Eastern cultures there is a great emphasis placed on proper breathing techniques while in many Western cultures there is very little emphasis placed on proper deep breathing exercises.
***Disclosure – this article is sponsored by Pro2FIT***
You may feel that learning how to breathe properly sounds a little strange, we can all breathe right? But did you know that developing proper deep breathing habits can have a very positive impact on your health, and not breathing properly can lead to health problems, as well as exacerbate existing health problems.
Breathing is important because it supplies our body and organs which oxygen. If we cannot get in oxygen we will die. Oxygen is responsible for making our brains work.
It is through out breathing that our body is able to get rid of toxins and waste. If we are not breathing properly these toxins may stagnate in our body and cause damage to vital organs.
As a mom it is important to firstly keep yourself healthy, but also to teach the members of your family how important it is to breathe properly for better health. It is also very important for women that are expecting to breathe properly during pregnancy as women need extra oxygen during pregnancy to function properly, as well as baby that will need extra to grow properly.
The importance of breathing properly cannot be emphasized enough.
Signs You Are Not Breathing Properly
The facts are that most people are not breathing properly and only use a third of their breathing capacity. Some signs that you are not breathing properly include:
- Feeling the need to take a deep breath
- Taking short breaths
- Holding your breath at times
- Running out of breath quickly when you are being more active
Benefits of Proper Deep Breathing
Proper deep breathing comes with many health benefits that help to keep you in a good mood as well as help you to perform at your best. Here are some benefits of breathing properly:
- Deep breathing detoxifies your body and releases toxins
- Releases tensions
- Relaxes the body and the mind
- Helps to relieve emotional problems
- Deep breathing brings pain relief
- Proper deep breathing massages your vital organs and improves circulation
- Increases muscles through providing oxygen to your cells and your brain
- Strengthens your immune system
- Improves your posture
- Improves the quality of your blood
- Strengthens your lungs
- Aids digestion and assimilation of food
- Makes the heart stronger
- Aids in weight control
- Improves stamina and boosts energy levels
- Improves cellular regeneration
- Elevates and improves your mood
As you can see there are plenty of reasons to learn how to breath deeply and properly to benefit your health!
How To Improve Deep Breathing
There are many ways to improve your deep breathing to improve your health. There are plenty of breathing exercises which you can do to improve your breathing, as well as exercises such as yoga which include breathing exercises.
You can also make use of Pro2FIT which guides you through resisted breath-training exercises which are personalized to your capability, to increase your lung capacity and to strengthen your breathing muscles. Pro2FIT is the first multi-platform device to offer a proven Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) workout.
Pro2FIT brings IMT to the masses with a personal device that’s easy to use and pairs with your smartphone to provide a fun, highly motivating workout.
Here are some simple and easy breathing exercises you can easily try at home, or anywhere else for that matter, that will help you to improve your breathing and benefit your health.
Exercises to Improve Your Breathing Technique
Exercise 1
Make a point of breathing through your nose as much as possible and not through your mouth. Breathing through your nose ensures that the air you breath in gets warmed, moistened and filtered before it reaches your lungs.
Practice standing with your hands at your sides and inhale slowly. Concentrate on filling the bottom the part of your lungs first. You will need to relax your abdominal muscles to achieve this.
Continue inhaling and relax your rib cage while the middle part of your lungs fill with air. As the upper part of your lungs fill with air raise your collar bone and put your shoulders up and back.
Then reverse the sequence above letting the air release first from the top of your lung while relaxing your collar bone and shoulders, then release the air from the middle of your lungs and then the lower part of your lungs.
Exercise 2
Lie down on your back and breathe normally counting how many breaths you take in a minute. This could be anything from 15 to 25.
Place a heavy book on your lower stomach below your belly button. Breathing through your nose try to raise the book when inhaling and lower the book when exhaling.
Breathe like this until it comes naturally. After doing this exercise regularly you may slow down to as little as 5 breaths a minute while taking in more oxygen than previously with shallow breathing.
After completing these breathing exercises you should find yourself feeling calmer and more centered, plus it will be so beneficial for your overall health.
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Going to definitely try this breathing techniques
And at a time like this breathing plays such an important part of our health. I watched a Youtube video by Chris Cuomo – a journalist in USA that got covid-19 and he shared how important breathing is in your recovery from the virus! He said that all that your body wants to do is sleep and lie down, but you must get up and you must exercise and do deep breathing!
So so many benefits of breathing properly, am wowed.