Breathe! You’re Alive!
Breathing Method For Total Relaxation
Because we live in such a fast-paced world, it’s no surprise that most suffer from extreme stress and anxiety. Naturally, we all have our own relaxation methods, whether long hikes through the woods, giving it your all at the gym, or simply lounging around at home, streaming the next Netflix hit. However, there are cases where stress gets so accumulated, you feel like you’re about to burst at any moment, and the worst thing about it - you can’t do any of your preferred activities for stress relief.
With that in mind, did you know that simply engaging in deep breathing can put you in a total state of relaxation? By focusing on your breath and how it moves within your body, you are able to find your centre, and slowly but surely, your worries seem to fade away. Now, many breathing exercises are available, all of which have their own special benefits. Today, we will focus on the yoga breathing method, or pranayama, specifically how it can put you in a state of total relaxation.
What Is The Yogic Breathing?
This deep breathing method is based on the ancient pranayama yoga technique, which helps people be more aware of their breathing. Pranayama means Prana (energy) and Ayama (to draw out). The origins of the breathing exercises build on yoga date back to ancient India – around the 6th century before our time. Apart from providing calmness and relaxation, yogic breathing can also help people who suffer from sleeping disorders or have difficulty falling asleep.
How It Works
Pranayama allows the body to replenish itself with oxygen, specifically in cases when you’re facing shortness of breath. According to the National Library of Medicine, it acts as a natural tranquilliser for the nervous system since the boost of air calms down racing thoughts, normalises blood pressure and eases the entire body, thus providing balance and immense tranquillity. That said, whenever your train of thought is running at full steam - not in the kind you want - practising the yoga breathing method will gently put on the brakes.
How To Do It
The 4-7-8-4 yoga breathing method is one of the most common ones that you can easily practice yourself. It requires good posture, ideally sitting down with your back straight. Start by putting your tongue against the roof of your mouth, where it needs to stay throughout the whole exercise. It may be challenging to grasp initially, but like most things in life, it takes time to adjust to.
Then, let your lips apart, exhaling completely through the mouth, making a wooshing sound. Close your lips and start inhaling through the nose for exactly 4 seconds. Hold the breath for 7 seconds, and finally exhale through the mouth like in the beginning for 8 seconds. And then, make a 4-second pause. Do this cycle until you feel centred and in control of your thoughts. Lastly, be aware that this breathing technique might make you sleepy, so avoid doing it at the office.
NOTE: for beginners, I recommend starting with the 2-4-4-2 interval. As you practice, you can gradually increase it to the 4-7-8-4 interval.
If you experience frequent stress and nervous outbursts, this breathing method will relieve you in ways you cannot even imagine. When things get overwhelming, rest assured that you have an ace up your sleeve! In the meantime, read the rest of my blogs to find out more ways to relax.
