Breathing exercises as a life booster

Each person breathes an average of 20,000 times during the day. And despite the fact that we breathe completely naturally from the first second of our life, it is necessary to learn to use our breath so that it brings us even more benefit.

Breath is the gateway to the psyche, and with the help of proper breathing, we can influence our mood, as well as our mental and physical performance. Through breathing exercises, we can transform stress, anxiety or a panic attack into feelings of relaxation in a few minutes. However, it is advisable to start training in a calm state, find out which exercises suit you, create a habit and take breathing exercises as prevention and part of mental hygiene. As the days go by, you will find that you have more and more control over your emotions.

How to start?

Even though we live in the 21st century, our autonomic nervous system is programmed the same way it was in prehistoric times. For evolutionary reasons, our body reacts to any stressful situation within the rules of "fight or flight", while the level of stress hormones increases in these conditions. They are slowly but surely becoming the silent killers of this century, which is full of stress. It is therefore possible to consider the beginning of a change for the better just to be aware of how often you get into stressful situations and how many stressors you have in your daily life.

How to breathe properly?

In most breathing exercises, the so-called diaphragmatic breathing. The diaphragm is also involved in normal breathing, but many times full movement is not achieved due to inappropriate sitting, stress tension, etc. The ideal position for practicing this type of breathing is lying down, but it can also be done effectively while sitting with a straight back. When exercising, focus only on your breath and try to breathe into your belly, not your chest. For better perception, you can put your hand on the stomach and notice its movements. Always inhale deeply through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth. After just a few minutes of concentrated breathing, you should feel relief. This is due to the activation of the autonomic nervous system, which goes into rest mode thanks to slow breathing.

Try breathing exercises

Most breathing exercises are based on diaphragmatic breathing and counting inhalations and exhalations for easier liberation from the outside world. In the beginning, it is advisable to practice in an environment undisturbed by music and other rhythmic or disturbing elements. An important element is taking a position in which you can breathe freely and you can make the exercise more pleasant by closing your eyes.

Before starting each exercise, take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale through your mouth as you feel comfortable. As part of the box breathing method, continue to inhale for 4 counts, hold the air in the lungs for 4 counts, exhale for 4 counts, and hold the breath for 4 counts. Individual cycles should be repeated 5 to 10 times.

As you may have already guessed, most breathing exercises are based on counting the times of individual actions. The 4-7-8 method is taken from yoga and consists of inhaling for 4 beats, holding for 7 beats and exhaling for 8 beats. However, you can adapt the breathing exercises to your needs and count as many times as you like. The regularity of periods and the feeling of relaxation during exercise are important. You can start with inhaling for 4 and exhaling for 4 beats, which you can gradually extend to 6 to 8 beats.

Breathing exercises are a great helper during the day, but also at night for problems falling asleep. Since you are trying to use your breath to move into a relaxed state, don't switch and practice methods that are comfortable for you. During the exercise, try to gradually relax not only the body, but also the forehead, eyebrows, eyelids, cheeks, tongue, neck, shoulders and arms up to the fingertips.