Breathing exercises are an excellent tool to instantly control your emotions, relieve stress, prevent panic attacks, and reduce the risk of disease. They are one of the best practices you can do for the health of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies.
Are you familiar with the fight or flight response?
I bet you are, but I’m going to explain it anyway…
When you encounter a scary or stressful event, even a little one, like being late for a meeting, you automatically activate your sympathetic nervous system in response. This is a built-in system we all have that triggers an acute stress response in our body as a way to prepare ourselves to fight or flee.
Thousands of years ago, this fight or flight response kept us alive and thriving in a world filled with predators. But nowadays it keeps us productive in the workforce for our fear of losing our job or losing our financial security. Making us trigger our stress response on a daily basis and eventually suffer from chronic stress.
That is why breathing exercises are more important now than ever, because they activate our parasympathetic nervous system that triggers a relaxation response. It is known as the rest and digest response, making it the complete opposite of your fight or flight response.
When you activate your parasympathetic nervous system, your body automatically balances out your hormones and regulates your emotions. Making you feel more relaxed and mindful.
Benefits include: decrease of stress, removal of anxiety, an increase of calmness, relief of pain, detoxification of the body, improved immunity, an increase of energy, lowered blood pressure, improved digestion, improved focus, and increases your life energy.
Here are 7 of the most effective breathing exercises you can use today!
1. Easy Beginner Deep Breathing Technique
If this is your first time practicing a breathing technique, then I would highly recommend you begin with this simple deep breathing technique that will reduce your stress, relax your mind, and help you focus.
2. 5-5-5 Breathing Technique
The 5-5-5 breathing technique is another easy and beginner-friendly breathing exercise that has been found to effectively reduce stress. This technique is also great for increasing mindfulness and gratefulness.
3. Guided Breathing Exercise For Anxiety
If you need a quick way to calm your anxiety and even prevent an anxiety attack, then I would highly recommend you try out this 5 minutes guided breathing exercise that works as a reset button for your mind.
4. 7/11 Pranayama Technique
The 7/11 pranayama technique is recognized as one of the most powerful breathing techniques in existence. This technique focuses more on the out-breaths than the in-breaths, and it is the out-breaths that trigger the relaxation response in your body.
5. Diaphragmatic Pranayama Technique
The diaphragmatic pranayama technique is a powerful technique that strengthens your lungs and makes them work more efficiently. This technique is also known as the belly technique because it makes you breathe with your diaphragm, which is actually the right way to breathe.
6. Alternate Nostril Pranayama Technique
The alternate nostril pranayama technique is the most common pranayama practiced in yoga because it helps to slow down your breath. This pranayama is widely used to bring balance to your body, mind, and soul.
7. Guided Wim Hof Method Breathing
The Wim Hof Method is the most scientifically studied breathing technique in existence. It has been proven to strengthen the immune system and greatly reduce the risk of disease. People have also been able to sustain cold temperatures for longer and avoid altitude sickness in high places after practicing this technique.
Disclaimer: The information on this website is intended for educational purposes only, and is not a substitute for advice or treatment from your physician or healthcare provider. You should consult your licensed physician for any medical treatment before trying alternative medicine.