breathing exercise Archives

Yoga and Intentional Breathing

My neighborhood yoga center reopened last weekend. I was happy to attend an in-studio class again. Last January, I wrote about Why Yoga Poses Can Be So Beneficial. From maintaining muscle tone and flexibility, to improving balance and breathing skills, to strengthening how organs can function through various poses, all these are good reasons for practicing a few yoga asanas every day if you can. Yoga is great at helping reduce daily stress as well.

This past weekend, we practiced box breathing again. I really enjoy this calming breath exercise that helps regulate the autonomic nervous system. There’s no simpler way to help you reach a relaxed state than a quick intentional breathing exercise. So here’s the technique for box breathing (previously mentioned), along with a few other breathing exercises, to help you unwind!

Box Breathing

Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, and count for 4 seconds before breathing in again. You can increase the number of seconds as you become more skilled but always practice in moderation. And just a few minutes (up to 5 minutes) at a time is plenty.

Belly Breathing

This technique is explained by Dr. Frank Lipman in the July/August 2018 Experience Life magazine, which you can also find in his book How to Be Well: “Place both hands on your belly, just below your bottom ribs. Rest the tip of your tongue behind your front teeth. Take a slow, deep inhalation through your nose. Draw your breath all the way into your belly, past your chest. Notice your diaphragm moving downward and feel your belly and rib cage expand. When you can take in no more air, exhale slowly through your nose until your lungs are empty – you’ll feel your belly falling under your hands. Repeat 10 cycles. As you continue, see if you can extend the exhale until it is twice the length of the inhale. Breathing this way helps quiet spinning thoughts and brings you back to your body in the present moment.”

Vagal Nerve Stimulating Breathing Exercise (also called 4-7-8 Breathing)

This exercise (which I love to do every day) is well described by neurologist Dr. Maya Shetreat-Klein in a Bulletproof podcast. Begin by sitting comfortably without crossing your arms or legs. Place the tip of your tongue right between your palate and the upper teeth. Breathe in for 4 seconds through the nose. Hold the breath for 7 seconds. Breathe out through the mouth for 8 seconds, making a “whoosh” sound as you keep your tongue placed between your palate and upper teeth. Repeat 4 times only, twice a day.

Breathing Exercise Paired with Visualization

I read about this breathing exercise in a book titled The Fourfold Path to Healing, by Dr. Thomas Cowan, Sally Fallon, et al., and find the visualization very relaxing. Picture yourself by the seashore and as a wave comes crashing at your feet, breathe out. Pause for a few seconds, then as a new wave forms in the distance, take a deep breath in. Hold your breath for a few seconds, then breathe out as the new wave reaches your feet again. Repeat this breathing exercise a few times.

Which breathing exercise is your favorite?

Until next time!

References

Asprey, Dave. Talking Dirty about Spiritual Plants and Microbial Biodiversity. blog.daveasprey.com/talking-dirty-spiritual-plants-microbial-biodiversity-426/. Accessed 17 Aug. 2019.

Cowan, Thomas S, et al. The Fourfold Path to Healing : Working with the Laws of Nutrition, Therapeutics, Movement and Meditation in the Art of Medicine. Washington D.C., Newtrends Pub, 2004, pp. 50–3.

Greenfield, Ben. Boundless : Upgrade Your Brain, Optimize Your Body & Defy Aging. Las Vegas, Victory Belt Publishing Inc, 2020, p. 49.

Lipman, MD, Frank. “6 Keys to a Happy and Healthy Life.” Experience Life, July 2018, pp. 68–9.

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Setting up a routine

There’s nothing better to start the day with than with setting up a routine in whatever way feels like the right picks for you to implement. It can change over time of course, so just choose what seems easy to carry out right now. Setting up a routine to start the day is setting up a little bit of time for yourself before dealing with the usual daily ups and downs. I have picked for 4 easy steps for myself to start each day for quite a while now. I thoroughly enjoy this morning ritual.

Red light therapy

Each morning, before having my breakfast, I use the TrueLight Energy Square for 20 minutes. It offers two types of red light wavelengths for rejuvenation of the cells (helping with collagen production, among other things) and near-infrared light for strengthening the cells, mostly targeting the mitochondria too. The mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cells. They are little organelles within the cells that produce ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), the energy that our body needs each day in order for us to do anything. So whatever we can do to strengthen our mitochondria, especially as we get older, is a big plus. The TrueLight Energy Square also offers the option to use a yellow/amber light, mostly to help with skin health. I have used in the past a Joovv Light Mini which is another great option. Red light therapy also increases blood flow to whichever area you wish to target. Increased blood flow means more oxygen and nutrients delivered to the given area, another big plus for overall health maintenance.

The 4-7-8 breathing exercise

The 4-7-8 breathing exercise is a vagal nerve stimulating exercise that I wrote about in a previous post: 4 Easy Breathing Exercises for Relaxation. This exercise has been promoted by Dr. Andrew Weil and is so easy to implement. No excuses! I will describe it here again briefly as I heard it described in a Bulletproof podcast. Begin by sitting comfortably without crossing your arms or legs. Place the tip of your tongue right between your palate and the upper teeth. Breathe in for 4 seconds through the nose. Hold the breath for 7 seconds. Breathe out through the mouth for 8 seconds, making a “whoosh” sound as you still have your tongue placed between your palate and upper teeth. Repeat 4 times only, twice a day. Starting a meditation practice can be a great addition to this.

Morning detox drink

Each morning, before drinking my Bulletproof coffee, I always have a cup of warm water to which I add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, the juice of ½ a lemon, and a teaspoon of Celtic sea salt as described in this YouTube video. This helps detoxify the liver, among other things. As explained in the YouTube video, the original recipe (just warm water and lemon) was created by nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman. I mentioned this morning detox drink in a previous post about my Paleo/Primal eating habits.

A few stretches

I like to incorporate a few stretches while fixing my morning beverages (the morning detox drink and Bulletproof coffee). As mentioned in Why Everyday Movement is Non-Negotiable, I usually start with the upper cat back stretch and have gotten into the habit now of doing standing calf raises while blending my coffee. After that, whenever I have a minute throughout the day, I do a few more stretches. Incorporating stretches to whatever else you have to do is a sure way to exercise without even really noticing it. So start with any stretch that feels right for you to practice right now, and build up from there, a little bit at a time, based on your schedule.

In summary

“4 Easy Steps to Start the Day” emphasizes the importance of creating habits (whatever they may be for you) that will benefit your overall health and wellness goals. Incorporating healthy habits into our daily lives is a long-time process that will most likely be challenged at times. But persevering nonetheless is strengthening the right mindset that can allow us to become stronger human beings, able to overcome or simply better cope with whatever we have to deal with in life.