Introduction
When it comes to working out, some people are all about endorphins and feel-good chemicals. Others (ahem) aren’t so much into that stuff—they just want the physical benefits like toned muscles or a faster 5K time. But there’s another reason why many of us hit the gym: Relaxation! After a tough sweat session, deep breathing is an effective way to get your body and mind back in chill mode again.
Benefits of Deep Breathing
Deep breathing is one of the best ways to relax, and it can help you sleep better. It also helps you get rid of stress. This is important because stress has been linked to a number of health problems like:
- headaches
- heart disease
- and high blood pressure.
Deep breathing helps you feel more relaxed so that your body doesn’t have as many negative physical effects from stress. The deep breaths will also cause your heart rate to slow down while allowing oxygen into the bloodstream at an increased rate. This makes sense considering that exercise requires large amounts of oxygen from our bodies!
Finally, deep breathing helps you think clearly so that when life becomes stressful or difficult. You’ll know how to handle it better than before!
Slows down a racing heart rate
The effects of deep breathing are not just limited to physical health. Deep breathing can help calm your mind, relax the body and even reduce stress. When you’re stressed, your breathing becomes shallow and rapid—which speeds up your heart rate and causes you to feel dizzy or lightheaded. Deep breathing is a great way to reduce this effect by slowing down your heart rate and relaxing the muscles in your body.
Deep Breathing Exercise: Lie on the floor with your face up (or sit up against a wall with knees bent). Place one hand on each side of chest so that fingertips rest just below collarbone level (see diagram below). Close mouth gently but don’t breathe through it! Take slow, deep breaths through nose as long as possible without raising shoulders off floor or feeling discomfort in neck or throat; exhale fully until lungs feel empty; then repeat cycle several times until relaxed—about 1 minute per set if possible.
If still feeling anxious after 5 minutes try this exercise again when feeling calmer (after 10 min).
What is Deep Breathing?
Deep breathing is a form of meditation that you can do anywhere, anytime. When done properly, it can help you relax and focus your mind on what’s important.
To practice deep breathing:
- Breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth. You can also place one hand over your heart and one hand over your belly (so that it rises with each inhalation). This helps to further calm the body down after an intense workout.
- Take slow, deep breaths so that both the abdomen (or stomach) rises as well as chest when inhaling; exhale slowly until both rise again while expelling air from mouth or nose only if desired–this will keep tension levels low throughout entire process!
Make sure to take time for deep breaths after physical activity.
Deep breathing can reduce muscle soreness, stress and anxiety, improve circulation, lung function and immune system. This deep breathing exercise will also help to lower blood pressure. When you inhale for a count of four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds and exhale for eight seconds, you are performing slow-paced belly breathing. Slow belly breaths are used to relax the body as well as calm the mind. The more you practice this technique the better it will become at helping you recover from strenuous activity or stressful situations in life.
How to do Deep Breathing?
- Place one hand on your chest and one on your stomach.
- Breathe in through your nose, then out through your mouth.
- Make sure to breathe deeply and slowly, filling up the bottom part of your lungs first before moving up to the top part. It should take about five seconds for each breath cycle.
- Do this for at least 10 minutes after a workout to help relieve stress, reduce muscle soreness and boost energy levels!
Relaxes the body
- Breathing exercises are one of the most powerful ways to relax your body and reduce stress.
- When you breathe deeply, it reduces muscle tension and increases blood flow to the brain—and that’s a great way to help you sleep better!
- Deep breathing also helps you feel more relaxed throughout your day. This is because deep breathing sends oxygen-rich air into all parts of your body, including those places where tension often builds up like in your neck or shoulders. And when these areas get stretched out from the increased oxygen supply (rather than from tightening them up through stress), they begin to feel less tight and more relaxed overall!
Mindful breathing (breathing exercises) is a very effective stress management tool.
Breathing exercises can help you feel more relaxed and calm. They can also help you sleep better. Studies have shown that mindful breathing helps reduce stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure, boost your immune system and fight depression.
Some people find it helpful to use guided meditations or recordings of their own breath while practicing these exercises.
Make sure to breathe deeply.
A good way to practice deep breathing is by following this pattern:
- Inhale for 5 seconds.
- Hold for 2 seconds and then exhale for 3 seconds, giving a good long exhale (like blowing up a bouncy castle).
- Rest for 1 second in between breaths and repeat the cycle three times or more if you can!
It improves your posture
Posture is something that many of us struggle with. We go through our daily lives with bad posture, not realizing the toll it’s taking on our bodies. With good posture, you can improve the way other people perceive you and how you feel about yourself.
Posture is also important for breathing deeply, which is a key ingredient to improving your health and fitness levels. If you’re hunched over, it’s harder to breathe deeply because there’s less space in your chest cavity for air to fill up. By practicing proper posture, you’ll be able to breathe more efficiently and reap all of the benefits that come along with breathing properly!
Deep Breathing enhances your lymphatic system
The lymphatic system is an important part of your immune system, and it’s what helps remove toxins and waste products from your body. It has a major role in keeping you healthy – but if it becomes sluggish or doesn’t work as well when you’re stressed, this can cause serious problems for your body. The good news is that deep breathing can help to improve the function of this vital part of your health!
It helps you sleep better
Deep breathing is one of the best ways to get a good night’s rest. The deep, rhythmic breaths expand and contract your lungs, which helps move oxygen into your bloodstream, allowing you to fall asleep faster. A study published in the journal Sleep Medicine found that people who took 10 minutes to do deep breathing exercises before bedtime had fewer signs of insomnia than those who didn’t engage in this practice.
Also, when you breathe deeply and slowly throughout the day it can help reduce anxiety levels, making it easier for you to relax when it comes time for bedtime. When feeling anxious or worried about something that happened during the day (or something that might happen tomorrow), try taking deep breaths as often as possible until you feel calmer and more relaxed again.
It increases the flow of oxygen in your body
Breathing exercises help you breathe more deeply, which increases the flow of oxygen in your body. If you’re not breathing deeply enough and are not getting enough oxygen, then you may be unable to perform at a high level.
To do this exercise, take a deep breath into your belly (not your chest). Then slowly exhale through pursed lips while making sure that air goes out of the nose rather than through the mouth. Notice how this feels different from how you normally breathe. There is no need to worry if it feels weird because it’s supposed to! You should feel better after doing this exercise and there are many other benefits as well:
- It helps relax stress and anxiety
- It gives an energy boost during workouts when running or lifting weights for example
Deep Breathing helps you feel more relaxed
Breathing exercises are a great way to relax. If you’re someone who gets stressed out easily or has anxiety, deep breathing exercises can help reduce those feelings and make you feel more relaxed overall. Breathing exercises can also be used as part of treatment for depression and other mood disorders.
If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed with work, school, or your exercise routine lately—or if you just want to experience a few moments of calm before heading back into the fray—try some breathing exercises!
Conclusion
These are just some of the benefits of deep breathing, but there are many more. You can also try doing this exercise with a group to help them relax and feel better about themselves.