Hi please listen to the Belly Breathing podcast:
Belly Breathing
What is Belly Breathing?
Belly breathing is a deep breathing exercise, that fully engages the muscles involved in breathing and improves our lung’s ability to fill our bodies with oxygen.
What are the Benefits of Belly Breathing?
Belly breathing is an effective relaxation technique used to manage the symptoms of anxiety, PTSD and stress. Belly breathing also has many physiological benefits such as lowering blood pressure, decreasing your heart rate and improving muscle efficiency during exercise.
How does it work?
When we take a deep breath we are able to increase the space in our chest which allows our lungs to suck in more air then we would during normal breathing. After breathing in, our body takes the oxygen from the air in our lungs and pumps it around our body. An increase in oxygen from deep breathing allows our body to function better.
Additionally deep breathing also helps to control symptoms that may be triggered following a traumatic event or during episodes of anxiety and PTSD. Typically during these moments it is our fight or flight response that takes charge and causes symptoms such as rapid and shallow breathing and a fast heart rate. By taking slow deep breaths it helps us to take control of these situations and quieten the fight or flight response.
When to use Belly Breathing?
Belly breathing is an effective coping mechanism for many different conditions. You can use belly breathing if you are feeling:
- Nervous
- Scared
- Anxious
- Stressed
- Angry
- Overwhelmed
How To Do It:
- Sit comfortably in a chair with your feet on the floor. You can lie down if you wish.
2. Fold your hands on your belly.
3. Breathe in slowly and calmly. Fill up the belly with a normal breath. Try not to breathe in too heavily. Your hands should move up when you breathe in, as if you are filling up a balloon. Avoid lifting the shoulders as you inhale. Rather, breathe into your stomach.
4. Breathe out slowly to the count of “5.” Try to slow down the rate of the exhale. After the exhale, hold for 2-3 seconds before inhaling again.
5. Work to continue to slow down the pace of the breath.
6. Practice this for 5 minutes.
7. This works best if you practice this every day. Try to find a regular time to practice this.
Reference List
https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/learning-diaphragmatic-breathing
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/9445-diaphragmatic-breathing
https://www.healthline.com/health/diaphragmatic-breathing#steps
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/diaphragmatic-breathing