Daily lung breathing exercises are important for good health, especially as we age. Normal breathing habits, combined with aging, can cause a 20 percent reduction in oxygen levels in the blood compared to optimal levels. Shallow, rapid breathing can become a habit, caused by weak or stiff muscles in the rib cage. This not only reduces oxygen levels, causing fatigue, but can also contribute to respiratory and heart disease. Practice exercises that fill your lungs.
Belly Breathing Exercises
Belly breathing exercises are designed to increase energy levels and reduce tension. Breathing from the belly can be practiced by lying flat on your back, with the knees bent, a position that encourages your body to breathe from the belly naturally. Rest your palms on your stomach below the rib cage to feel your belly rise as you inhale and fall as you exhale. Air fills the lungs more deeply when you use the muscles in the belly instead of the chest, and causes more air to be expelled. For best results, belly breathing should be practiced for five minutes daily.
Tai Chi Chuan Exercises
These exercises come from the Chinese martial art of tai chi chuan. Practitioners inhale three times in quick succession through the nose without exhaling. With the first inhalation, the arms are lifted to shoulder level in front of the body. On the second inhalation, the arms are moved to the sides, while still extended. On the third inhalation, the arms are lifted up above the head. Then exhale through the mouth while bringing the arms down to the sides. The cycle is repeated 10 to 12 times. Practitioners believe this exercise benefits the body and the mind.
Humming Exercises
Humming exercises are designed to exercise the body and lungs while relaxing the mind for five minutes daily. Sitting straight up, relaxed, with closed eyes, exhale. Then, while inhaling, raise the belly, as if filling it with air, until it is fully extended. While still inhaling, the chest and ribs are then expanded until the lungs are full. Then exhale very slowly, while humming, relax the chest first, then the belly, then finally force the last of the air from the lungs, using the muscles in the belly. Concentrate on humming for as long as possible.
Yoga Breathing Exercises
Pranayama yoga utilizes several breathing exercises designed to assist in concentration and to exercise the lungs. These include long deep breathing exercises similar to the humming exercise, designed to fill the lungs as full as possible and then to exhale as much air as possible. The Agni-Prasana (Breath of Fire) is a rhythmic fast-breathing exercise, where the diaphragm forces the air in and out of the lungs as fast as possible. Other Pranayama breathing techniques, such as alternate nostril breathing, are aimed at improving concentration as well as making practitioners more aware of their bodies and breathing.
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