Breathing is the most fundamental action that we perform each day of our lives.
It is the gateway to life, our life force.
Using proper breathing techniques is one of the most foundational and beneficial things that can be done for both short and long term health, and even with fatigue and pain, it is possible to improve our breathing, writes MARGARET LKAMBERT in her latest column.
Most of us breathe in a shallow manner and use only around 20 percent of our lung capacity.
Shallow breathing reduces vitality and energy levels, and also reduces our resistance to disease.
Our bodies function better and have the best opportunity for healing when all its cells are receiving the optimum levels of gases in the lungs and bloodstream, and this is best achieved through abdominal breathing and deep breathing exercises.
The practice of regular deep breathing slows the heart rate and improves oxygen levels in the cells, which can bring about dramatic changes in general health, both physically and emotionally.
Deep breathing assists in the reduction of anxiety and stress levels, enabling greater relaxation throughout the whole body, which is the optimum state for the body to make gains in recovery from illness and pain.
To attain the maximum benefits of deep breathing, it is best to practise it each day.
The regular practice of deep breathing results in the body adjusting its normal breathing pattern to abdominal breathing.
It is good to check in with your breathing several times a day to assess your breathing. If you notice that you are breathing from the chest, you can spend a few moments focusing on abdominal breathing.
An enhancement of the deep breathing technique is the inclusion of words during the in and out breaths, for example, saying the word, relaxation upon inhalation, and saying the word stress or anger on exhalation.
This addition to the technique helps to attract the feeling/emotion to be drawn into the body, and expel those to be released.
There are many deep breathing techniques available. One of my favourites is the 4-7-8 technique which is available as a free download through the Shop tab on my website: http://margaretlambert.com
The booklet is titled Breathing and Relaxation.
If you need additional prompts or motivation, there are apps available for breathing – just type in the word breathing in the App Store search and you will be shown several options that are free of charge.
I’d be happy to hear of any breathing techniques that work for especially well for you, as they may also be able to benefit others.
Feel free to email me at marg@margaretlambert.com or through any of the social media channels.
Until next time…
