24 Jul 5 Breathing Exercises to Find Peace

Breathing is the most essential aspect of ones being. Yet, we take this activity for granted without realizing its effects on our body. Breathing is very important for us to efficiently conduct our day to day activities without giving up on the sense of well being. It can help relieve stress and calm our minds. Though, breathing seems to be an indispensable and a natural form of exercise, you need to understand and master the techniques to make the most of it towards not just being alive but feeling one.

Yoga, Tai Chi and other forms of wellness activities have strongly emphasized on breathing. It forms the basics of any stretching or workout. When clubbed with meditation, breathing can help you concentrate on any activity and enhance its effect not only on your body but also on your mind. Doctors and psychologists pay extra weightage on breathing to help one suffering from anxiety and stress. Discovering the correct breathing technique can help you find peace within your mind and your soul.

So, here are a few breathing exercises that you can practice on a daily basis to help you find your share of peace on a given day while you are hustling between deadlines, traffic or any stressful situations.

Equal Breathing
This type of breathing helps you focus on something you desire, in most cases, it’s either the need for an undisturbed sleep or just to calm your mind to make better decisions in stressful situations. The technique here is to count your breaths. Start with smaller scale of 1 – 5 for both in and out individually. As you reach your level of concentration, extend your breath till you feel relaxed or forget about it as you are already passed out. You can do this exercise at any hour of the day and at any place you are comfortable at.

Abdominal Breathing
This breathing exercise focuses on your diaphragm. Typically, singers are seen to be practicing this to help them control their breath while hitting higher notes for consistent voice delivery. This exercise works brilliantly when you plan to enter a war zone situated either in a conference room, an examination hall or even at home. To practice this technique, find a quite spot wherever you are, sit down and simply place your palms on chest and belly to begin. Take long deep breaths, counting at least till 8 both in and out to help you feel relaxed and concentrate on your tactics to get out of a given war like situation.

Progressive Relaxation
This  type of meditation technique helps you focus on each and every muscle of your body with a self relaxation technique. Here you are expected to be in a quiet, comfortable and dimly lit room, ideally a bedroom. To practice this technique all you need to do is close your eyes and breath. While you breathe, focus your mind on each and every limb of your body in a chronological order starting from your toes. From the toes, climb higher towards your legs, thighs, pelvis, stomach, chest, neck and finally your head. At each spot, count till 5 and feel that particular part relax until to move to the next one.

Kapalbhatti
Is waking up a difficult task for your every morning? Worry not; Kapalbhatti is here to your rescue. This technique allows you to use the power of your nostrils. With the help of your fingers, block one nostril to inhale a long breath of air and shoot it out from the other. The shooting releasing endomorphins that act like consuming two cups of espresso to kick start your day.

Aroma Therapy
As the name suggests, the aromas released from either a scented candle or blooming flower garden helps you explore the happy place in your mind. It helps you remember happy moment’s associated with the smell and stores them to be used in times of need. When you reach your happy place, archive the moment by inhaling the air around you, in deep breaths to clear your lungs and fill your mind with happiness.

With these simple breathing and meditation techniques, you can ensure utmost wellness of body, mind and soul at any given situation in your life.