The slower the better when performing deep breathing exercises.
Learning breathe during deep breathing exercises is as important as the exercises themselves. If you frequently sit with your back slouched and your shoulders rolled forward, you won't be able to access the full capacity of your lungs. And, if stress has taken a toll on the quality of your breathing over the years, you'll have to fight the instinct to breathe rapidly and shallowly from your upper chest. Training yourself to breathe slowly and deeply will become easier over time and with practice. Begin your lessons with two deep breathing exercises that will help you notice how you breathe.
Instructions
Three-Part Breath
1. Lie on your back on a yoga mat or a rug. Lengthen your back by tipping your tailbone up. Let your feet flop naturally to the sides.
2. Place your hands, palms down, on your lower abdomen, just below your navel. Exhale fully and then inhale deeply from the bottoms of your lungs. Your lower abdomen will raise as your diaphragm contracts and stretches your lungs downward to create more space for air. Take three full breaths.
3. Exhale and move your hands, palms down, on to the sides of your lower rib-cage. Inhale, and notice how the inhalation moves your ribs away from your body. Take three full breaths.
4. Exhale and cross your hands at the wrists as you lay your palms on your collarbone. Take three full breaths in order to observe the passage of your breath at the tops of your lungs.
Alternate Nostril Breathing
5. Sit with a straight back on a chair or cross-legged on the floor. Draw your shoulder blades down your back in order to expand your shoulders.
6. Close your right nostril with your right thumb. Keep the rest of the fingers of your right hand straight, either at an angle or pointing upward.
7. Inhale deeply through your left nostril. Let your lower abdomen expand during the inhalation. Lift your right thumb off your right nostril and close off the left nostril with the ring and baby finger of your right hand.
8. Exhale through your right nostril. Inhale deeply through your right nostril and then close off your right nostril to exhale through your left. Repeat as many rounds as you need to become aware of the passage of your breath and manipulate the fullness of each inhalation and exhalation.
Tags: your right, right nostril, your right nostril, through your, your back, your lungs