Breath Is Life!It is said that a human body can survive without food or water for up to 4 days but without breathing, we would not survive longer than a few minutes. Such is the power of our breathing.
And whilst we may not be fully aware of this, the process of breathing and bringing oxygen into our body does play a very significant role in our overall health and wellbeing, on many different levels. To start with, it is said that our bodies are designed to help release up to 70% of our toxins through our breathing. Deep breathing is proven to stimulate our lymphatic system, it helps to strengthen our organs, improve our digestion and give us an abundance of life force energy. On this page, we aim to provide you with a variety of different breathing exercises to help you move forwards towards more happy, balanced and harmonious states of being. We hope that you will find something here that resonates with you and helps to bring you more peace, relaxation & balance. |
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Deep Breathing Exercises
As we've already mentioned, deep breathing is very important in promoting healing, relaxation, heath and vitality. And where possible, we normally suggest that beginners do a daily dose of deep breathing exercises for around 5-10 minutes a day. As we become more accustomed to the exercises (and as our internal muscles strengthen) we can slowly work up to doing deep breathing exercises for up to 30 minutes a day.
And you are welcome to practice these deep breathing exercises at any time during the day but it is better if you can practice these on an empty stomach. For example, we normally like to do our breathing exercises just after waking and just before sleeping in conjunction with our meditation practices which helps to ensure that we are doing these on an empty stomach.
And you are welcome to practice these deep breathing exercises at any time during the day but it is better if you can practice these on an empty stomach. For example, we normally like to do our breathing exercises just after waking and just before sleeping in conjunction with our meditation practices which helps to ensure that we are doing these on an empty stomach.
Lastly, please don't feel like you need to practice all of these breathing exercises at once. We have been sure to include a variety of different exercises here to help you find something that works for you. You may also wish to start with one particular type of breathing and then after a few minutes, switch to a different style of breathing. As always, please follow your own intuition and do what you feel is right for you.
Deep 'Abdomen' BreathingThis simple deep breathing exercise is often the simplest and easiest place for many of us to start our practice. Start by allocating a few minutes of each day to your breathing. Find a place where you will be undisturbed, gently close your eyes and bring your awareness to your breathing cycle.
Allow yourself to start doing deep breathing, right into your abdomen area and breathe like this for around 3 - 5 minutes. Feel your stomach rise as your diaphragm is activated and as your lungs expand when you breathe in and feel your stomach fall as you breathe out, your whole body relaxing. Doing 3 - 5 minutes of deep abdomen breathing is a great way to start bringing many wonderful benefits into your life and as you progress, you can start increasing the time or do some of the other breathing exercises below. |
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'Bhastrika' PranayamaThis is an extension of the previous breathing exercise with more emphasis being place on the exhalation of the breath. In yoga, this breathing exercise is called Bhastrika Pranamaya and this is a very popular form of pranayama.
In the west, this pranayama looks very different, being kept mostly within the abdomen area and with less movement in the body. There will always be a variety of different personal preferences but we feel that this version of bhastrika is more closely aligned to the more traditional forms of Indian Yoga so we will include this version for you here. Bhastrika works many of the internal muscles so in the beginning, you may only need to practice this pranayama for around a minute or so. This exercise is also a wonderful prelude to healing & meditation so please take some time to enjoy the feeling of peace & relaxation afterwards. |
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Alternate Nostril BreathingThis is a very different kind of breathing than the previous two and the general idea here is that you will be closing one nostril at a time whilst we continue to breathe slowly and deeply.
To start with, this can be a little more complicated but once you get the hang of it, we assure you it is actually very easy (and soothing for your mind and body). Because the breathing here is very slow, even and deep, there are a number of different benefits being experienced during this practice and this is another great prelude to any kind of healing & meditation practice. This is a very popular form of pranayama in yoga and we hope that you find this video helpful in bringing more oxygen, balance and vitality into your life. |
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The Breath Of FireThe breath of fire is another amazing breathing practice which comes to us from Kundalini Yoga that can help us to bring a significant amount of healing, purification and relaxation in a short period of time.
This video is a great introduction to the breath of fire as it will help you to master this wonderfully beneficial breathing practice. You will notice that the video suggests that you start this breathing exercise with your mouth open however please know that this is only a first step in helping you progress towards the actual breath of fire technique. Again, we recommend doing only what you feel comfortable with in the beginning and as always, please listen to your own intuition during your practice. |
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