Whatever the reason for spending time at home, such as work, leisure or health – at home is a perfect place to try breathing exercises. Here you get tips on some to reduce worry, anxiety and stress and to get up the energy. Take a deep breath and we’re off!
Test breathing exercises for different needs
Your breathing affects you incredibly much. And vice versa – life and its situations affect breathing. When you get scared, angry or stressed, you breathe briefly, quickly and high up in the chest. When you are calm and satisfied, you breathe deeper and with longer breaths. But you can change your breathing and thus how you feel. Here you get three breathing exercises for different needs and day form!
Breathing excises is perfect for Everyone. No matter if you are a young mom who cares your health, or a professional work hard or even an Elderly person who lives in Aged care.
Breathing exercise to reduce stress
Do you feel stressed and breathing superficially, like up in your chest? If you move the breathing further down into the lungs, and “breathe more with the stomach”, you help the body to relax and feel better. It is best if you breathe with your nose, it helps you find more focus and activate calming effects in your body. When you relax and feel calm, the automatic breathing also becomes calmer and smoother.
Stomach breathing with long deep breaths – how to do it:
- Sit comfortably, however you want – on a chair, on the floor, on a pillow.
- Feel that you can stretch your back while feeling heavy against what you are sitting on.
- Relax your jaws, and the rest of your face, and shoulders.
- Start breathing in slowly through your nose.
- Feel the breath go deeper into the chest and abdomen with each inhalation.
- When you exhale, allow the exhalation to be as long as the inhalation.
- If you want, you can slowly count to four on inhalation, four on exhalation
- if it feels too difficult, count shorter
- if there is more space, count a little longer.
- Feel the inhalation fill your chest and stomach:
- down
- Forward
- back in the back
- out to the sides
- Do this for a few minutes.
- If you want, you can set a timer. Start with two minutes and extend a little each time.
If you do Yoga or Pilates you might know the importance of breathing exercises, Here you see a breathing exercise that helps you with the important and deep stomach breathing.
Breathing exercise in case of worry & anxiety, and for priming
Do thoughts spin too fast or has worry and anxiety taken a heavy grip on you? Try to calm yourself down with the help of breathing as well as simple exercises that get you present in your body. It helps you feel more grounded and in touch with yourself. You can use your stomach breathing above, or watch the video below.
In this sequence, you are guided through the breath and receive a visualization/meditation for calm, presence and self-compassion. The class is done sitting or lying down.
Breathing exercise for more energy
Are you heavy in the head and body, feel that you need to lift your energy? Then it can help to do exercises that soften over the chest, soft movements, backbends and rotations, while you breathe slowly deep into your stomach and chest. It can give you a lighter feeling in both body and mind.
You can also try to create more energy just by using the breath. So-called fire breathing can increase your oxygen uptake and you feel more alert and full of energy. Here you can see a video with the exercise!