When you take short, shallow breaths you’re actually limiting the quantity of oxygen that’s made available to your brain and also the rest of one’s body. Shallow breathing can in fact improve blood pressure, as your heart has to pump faster to obtain the limited amount of oxygen you are giving it towards the rest of your entire body. Practicing deep breathing workouts will help equally soothe your mind and entire body, although also increasing your metabolic rate.
Since oxygen feeds our entire body; digestion is inhibited when your other bodily functions (i.e., breathing) are slowed down. Deep breathing exercises could be carried out as many times as you like during the day and are a staple in all martial arts, yoga and meditation techniques.
There are books which teach about breathing such as the one on the left.
Breathing Easy: Meditation and Breathing Techniques
Wake up with a burst of oxygen
Why rely on caffeine and sugar to acquire your body going when you can do deep breathing exercises? The answer for most of us is always that it doesn’t require very much thought to grab a coffee or sugary donuts; while stopping to breathe properly for 5 minutes seems like a chore to most folks.
Your entire body and mind will appreciate the heightened oxygen levels you obtain from basic deep breathing workouts, much more than it will love being a slave to the morning caffeine fix.
How it’s done
Although yoga, kickboxing and meditation courses will teach you how to breathe correctly and keep fit too, here’s a basic physical exercise you’ll be able to do:
- Sit with your back straight, head up and shoulders back.
- As soon as your posture is correct inhale as deep and slow as you are able to into your stomach.
- Hold the breath for a two-count, then exhale all the air from your entire body.
- Repeat this exercise 5 – 10 times and you should be staying healthy.
(Note: Once you’ve done this physical exercise for a while, start varying how long you hold your breath in for. As soon as your muscles can handle the physical exercise, you can increase the tempo and take quicker breaths, mixed with longer ones. Just make sure you’re breathing deep into your tummy.)
