A simple and effective exercise for better breathing and to reduce feelings of anxiety
To help you with the understanding of the techniques in the video.
Re-education of breathing patters requires time and patience as the old habits change and the new ones become comfortable: Daily for 5-10 minutes.
Better breathing depends on how well you breathe out as it’s impossible to inhale fully if you have only half exhaled. If you focus on the out-breath the in-breath will take care of itself.
Breathing Exercise
- Place yourself in a comfortable position –seated or reclining.
- Exhale fully through partially open mouth with the lips just barely separated.
- This should be done slowly and as you exhale count silently as you establish the length of the out-breath.
- When you have exhaled fully, and without causing any strain, inhale fully, freely and uncontrolled. Count silently the length of the in-breath.
- No without pause exhale fully, through the mouth, just as before.
- Continue and repeat the exhalation and inhalation for not less than 30 cycles.
- The objective is that in time you should achieve an inhalation phase 0f 2-3 seconds while the exhalation phase lasts 6-7 seconds without any strain at all.
- By the time you have completed 15 cycles or so any sense of anxiety should be much reduced and if pain is present this should also have lessened.
Most importantly the exhalation should be slow and continuous.
Repeat it more often if you are anxious or whenever stress seems to be increasing.
Practice the techniques too on waking, before bed time and if at all possible before meals.
The symptoms that result from shallow breathing can include all or any of the following
- Reduced Pain thresholds
- A tendency towards becoming easily fatigued
- General sense of apprehension and a tendency towards anxiety
- Increased tension in those muscles responsible for efficient breathing leading to chest, neck, and shoulder pain and stiffness
- A tendency to headaches
- Cramps and Spasms
- Cold extremities
- IBS and bladder dysfunction
This exercise was taught when I was attending a “Recognising and Treating Breathing Disorders” course led by the late great and very generous Leon Chaitow.
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