Imagine a natural way where you don't work up a sweat, pay any money, step foot inside a gym or even pant and still lose weight and tone up your abs!
Within a month you could lose inches from your hips and waist, tone key muscle groups and end up feeling blissfully relaxed.
Better still, all it takes is a few minutes a day, several simple exercises and the ability to breathe deeply.
All with the thanks to your breath
Even though you’ve been breathing your whole life, you may be doing it incorrectly.
We’re all born knowing how to inhale and exhale correctly, but with today’s technology, hurried schedules, and everyday stress, most of us have lost that ability
As a result, most of us ‘under-breathe’ in a dysfunctional way
And this dysfunctional breathing can make you feel winded during Cross Fit or after climbing a few flights of stairs, no matter how fit you are. Oxygen is fuel, and part of feeling fatigued during exercise has to do with not fueling our cells well enough through our breath
Fortunately re-learning the right way to breathe is easy. The first step is realizing which muscles are your breathing muscles: your diaphragm, abdominals, oblique’s, and intercostal. When you strengthen these muscles, just like you would your hamstrings or glutes, not only will your breathing improve, but you may also notice a litany of benefits such as improved endurance, more energy, less stress, fewer GI problems, and a better immune system and weight
Breathing exercises are gaining a lot of popularity nowadays as they are very effective in the abdominal area. These exercises are known as pranayama, usually associated with yoga. It is an art and needs to be practiced with care.
It is the basic pranayama exercises used frequently in yoga as well. You need to spend at least 15 to 20 minutes on this exercise every day.
Using your full lung capacity will increase this and allow the lungs to dispel waste and toxins from the body helping to speed up metabolism.
Plus also relieves chronic tension and aches and pains.
To find out if you are breathing correctly, try my breathing test below and discover where you tend to breath the most.
Knowing how to breath correctly is very simple and can be improved with regular practice.
The breath is one of the most important aspects of Life in everything that we do from day to day activities. Yoga is one of them.
It’s the most imperative aspects of Yoga. Without the correct breathing you will struggle with the postures and balance of each pose. Plus you are more likely to injure yourself if you are not working with your breath throughout your Yoga practice. It’s the same for Meditation also.
Without the breath we will not be here.
In all my Yoga one-to-one sessions of Yoga and Meditation I focus a lot on the correct way of breathing before starting any Yoga or Meditation session and with continued practice you will find it becomes a natural way of life for you also.
Breathing also affects our daily emotional state, concentration, stress level, and believe it or not, our sleeping patterns. Learning to breathe the right way will help us to be healthier, calmer and give us the ability to handle stressful life situations. Plus it makes you feel better!!!
The correct form of breathing is to push the abdomen out while inhaling, and let it come back in naturally while exhaling.
HOW TO BREATHE PROPERLY
The diaphragm is the membrane that separates the lungs from the stomach. When we breathe in, our lungs fill up with air pushing the diaphragm down, which in turn makes the abdomen protrude out. During exhalation, the abdomen retreats in automatically.
To be sure you breathe correctly, you must divide the breath into three parts; lower abdomen, middle abdomen, and chest.
When inhaling, first fill up the lower abdomen with air, then the middle abdomen, and last the chest. When exhaling, the air in the chest goes out first, then the air in the middle abdomen, and lastly the air in the lower abdomen. You must physically push the abdomen out when inhaling, and in when exhaling. However, when done correctly, there is no need to pull the abdomen in because it is done effortlessly.
For most people, due to society pressures, breathing is done exactly opposite of how it should be. Studies show us that around 40% of people breathe incorrectly.
Breathing incorrectly has definite negative consequences in that you could develop future illnesses.
If you can consciously breathe the right way by forcing the abdomen out during inhalation your body will soon pick up this rhythm.
The human brain has many functions and one of them is to follow the breath. If you are able to breathe anywhere from 1 to 4 times per minute, you will experience what is called the meditative state. Breathing is not about just holding the breath in or out; it’s about breathing long and deeply.
Do this by breathing very slowly, using the full capacity of your lungs and completely exhaling out through the nose complexly and totally.
The best way to breath properly is to build up little by little. The lung’s capacity starts to expand, and as a consequence your mind becomes calmer, more balanced, and you will be able to concentrate more fully and make better decisions.
The magic of breathing starts when you master exhaling. It seems that during the inhalation, the mind is calmer and one can hold the breath longer without experiencing any discomfort. During exhalation there is a natural urge to inhale immediately after exhalation. When this natural tendency calms down you will be able to reach a higher level of consciousness.
Remember this:
Breathe through the nose and the breath should go in and out through the nose.
Breathe with the diaphragm
The air you breathe in through your nose should go all the way down, way down to your belly, so that your belly expands outwards
As you exhale your belly comes back in to you back
Breathe relaxed
Breathe rhythmically
Breathe silently
It’s quite easy once you get the hang of it.
Some of the many wonderful benefits of correct deep breathing:
Makes you Calmer
Helps detoxify the body
Relieves pain and tension, especially neck and shoulders
Makes you happier
Improves your posture
Stimulates the Lymphatic System
Increases our Cardiovascular Capacity
Gives you more energy
Improves your digestion
Strengthens the major organs
Helps with weight loss – encourages the body to burn fat. We lose weight through our lungs as toxins and waste are released through the lungs by 80%. So if you want to lose weight focus on
the correct way of breathing to increase your lung capacity and
your weight lose benefits
Tones the muscles in the abs
Lowers your chances of sickness and disease
Helps to clean our blood by removing Carbon Dioxide and increasing Oxygen
It also improves our nervous systems
Lowers blood pressure
Increases Circulation
Improves sleep
Improves skin and oxygen that the skin needs to stay young and healthy
Improves skin conditions
Increases focus and concentration
Increases better eyesight and vision
Increases brain activity
And sooo much more…
Breathing is one of the easiest ways to improve your health. Take a little bit of time each day to practice it.
Breathe your way to good health…
To find out more and to join my new free “Breathe in Slowly, Gently and Deeply” sessions and workshops please email me at pureblissretreats@mail.com. To find out more and to get yourself on the list for our upcoming sessions. I hold them once or twice a month and help to teach the basic breathing exercises to help you breathe better and the way we are meant and made to breathe. I can also hold one-to-one breathing sessions also if you prefer to have a more personal approach.
Plus if you would like to benefit from Yoga practice and Meditation practice with your breathing please let me know as I can help you with an easy to follow Yoga and Mediation breathing program that can help increase your practice and turbo charge your results even more.
Breathe deep and be happier and healthier
Best Wishes
Kelly