Breathing techniques.

 

Here are some breathing techniques for you. Want Better Health? Take a Deep Breath Most of us breathe about once every four seconds, or roughly 22,000 times a day. Believe it or not, you'd be better off breathing less than half as much. A strange observation, you say? Not from a medical standpoint. In our modern culture, few people ever read or talk or learn about healthy breathing technique. As a result, we typically take lots of small, shallow breaths that aren't optimal for health. If you want to improve your health, it's worth your while to learn how to do it deeper and better. Research reveals many benefits to deeper breathing. First, it has been scientifically shown to lower blood pressure and relieve stress and anxiety, crucial to people with diabetes because stress hormones trigger the release of extra blood sugar. And when you take a deep, full inhalation, it helps improve oxygen delivery throughout your body, particularly to your organs. This not only nourishes them, but helps them expel toxins. Deep breathing also stimulates your digestive process, improves brain functioning (which means better mental performance), reinforces your immune system, and gives your energy reserves a boost. Can you think of an easier way to improve your health? We can't. All it takes is remembering to do it! So start right now: Just inhale through your nose slowly and fully. Your chest and abdomen should move together. If only your chest moves, your breathing is too shallow. Exhaling should take twice as long as inhaling. The more you clear out your lungs with strong exhalations, the healthier and fuller your inhalations will be. There's no one-size-fits-all standard, but try to take only about six breaths per minute. That's about three seconds for every inhalation, six seconds for exhalations, and slight pauses between each. This is only an average—of course, if you're climbing stairs you'll be taking quite a few more. One of the best ways to breathe better is to stay conscious of your breathing. Don't view it simply as an involuntary movement. Breath is the fuel of your entire well-being, and you should strive to control it. Here's another breathing exercise, one that's especially great when you're feeling stressed. Close your eyes. Place one hand on your belly and notice your breathing. Feel your hand rise slightly with each new breath in. Feel it fall with each breath out. Focus on this motion of rising and falling for a dozen breaths. The simple act of noticing how you breathe will take you out of a stressful situation and help soothe your anxieties away.  You'll also have the added benefit of knowing you're giving your health a boost. Source: Reader's Digest.