5 Good Deep Breathing Techniques
Deep breathing is one of those several healthy exercises that can help you come out of stress. A lot of people use dancing or working out as a stress buster, which are great again. Some people use things like cigarettes and alcohol to escape stress which is the worst they can do to their body. Here are some deep breathing techniques that can be better solutions than the destructive ones. These techniques can also keep you healthier and happier.
1. Guided visualization
Close your eyes, sit straight and find out a happy place for yourself. This place can be a place you really like or just a place of your dreams. Dream about Niagra Falls if you love waterfalls, or imagine a calm beach if you like oceans. Don’t think about the household chores or anything else while finding your happy place. Use natural sounds like the ocean’s sound or the waterfall’s sound to travel to this place through your imagination. Once you have reached the place, calmly deep breathe. Fill your lungs with fresh air and release. Repeat this a lot of times and you will feel better.
2. Progressive relaxation
Firstly, start breathing deeply. Take the fresh air to your lungs through the nose and release it through your mouth. Do this very slowly for best results. Now start relaxing your muscles. Start with the feet and then go up to your knees, chest, thighs, arms, jaw, eyes and hands. Tense and relax the muscles of these body parts while maintaining deep but slow breathing. You can do this kind of breathing in your home while sitting on your work desk.
3. Kapalabhati or “Skull Shining Breath”
Kapalabhati is one of the many Yoga postures. You can start Kapalabhati by inhaling the fresh air slowly. The slow long inhale must be followed by a quick, powerful exhale generated from the belly. Once you are comfortable with this kind of powerful exhaling and contraction, you can inhale and exhale continuously.
