Breathing is an indispensable biological process for all living things, thanks to which the body's cells are enriched with oxygen. This trace element is a catalyst for all biochemical reactions in our body. It is not surprising that people who care about their health one day think about how to breathe correctly - with their stomach or chest.
What is the difference?
Due to improperly formed habits, some people constantly breathe through their mouths. This type of breathing, unlike nasal, is not natural for humans, so it brings a lot of discomfort in everyday life and leads to various diseases. Passing through the nose, the air mixture is cleansed and gets into the lungs already in the "filtered" form. Cilia of the epithelium of the nasal cavity retain particles of dust, dirt and even some strains of bacteria and viruses.
Now it remains to understand how to breathe correctly - belly or chest. Regardless of whether you inhale with your nose or mouth, the torso is involved in this process. Most people tend to think that it is better to breathe, although this view is not true. This technique allows you to breathe superficially, because it does not involve all pulmonary alveoli. In addition, chest breathing alone involves short breaths and exhalations.
Even doctors do not recommend breathing through the mouth. An exception is nasal congestion during a respiratory illness. You can exhale with your mouth (do not inhale!) During strong physical exertion.
Why belly breathing is good for your health
Among all types of breathing in humans, it is considered abdominal as natural. It is also called abdominal and diaphragmatic. It is believed that such a technique is more useful than all the others, since it is with it that a positive effect is exerted on the whole body: the body is cleansed of toxins and, due to the work of the diaphragmatic septum, an involuntary massage of the abdominal organs occurs.
How to breathe in the stomach? For advice, you can contact athletes, yogis and chiropractors. This type of breathing is called diaphragmatic because it involves an anatomical septum, which is located between the abdominal and chest cavity - the diaphragm. Each person has it under the lungs. In order for the diaphragm to bend, it is necessary to extend the stomach during inhalation. This is what it means to “breathe in the stomach.”
The main advantages of the abdominal technique
Unlike other types of breathing in humans, the diaphragmatic method allows you to take fuller and deeper breaths - this is its main advantage. Other benefits of abdominal breathing are also based on it, which you can feel for yourself, giving 5-10 minutes a day to simple exercises. There are several popular breathing exercises. We will pay attention to the rules and the scheme of their implementation in the following sections of the article, but for now let us dwell on the consideration of the positive aspects of respiratory gymnastics. Abdominal breathing contributes to:
- relaxation of the whole body;
- providing a calming effect on the central and peripheral nervous systems;
- restoration of heart rate, digestion processes;
- increase energy and vigor;
- dealing with stressful situations;
- rapid renewal of strength after physical exertion and sports;
- normalization of hormonal levels, blood sugar and glycemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus;
- strengthening the lungs;
- cure for chronic respiratory diseases.
How abdominal breathing affects genetics
All studies on the benefits and dangers of breathing by the stomach were carried out by scientists with the goal of studying in detail the effects of this technique on the body and human body. Among such tests, curious information was received. It turns out that breathing with the stomach can affect the genetic code.
With the abdominal technique of inspiration and inspiration, genes are involved that play a role in the aging process. In addition, scientists were able to record a decrease in the level of expression of genes responsible for stress and inflammatory processes in the body. In a positive way, the diaphragmatic breathing technique affects immune cells and increases the body's degree of resistance to various infectious diseases.
disadvantages
It is worth noting only the benefits of breathing with the stomach. The harm of this technique will be felt by people suffering from arterial hypertension. In patients with cardiovascular disease, breathing exercises can lead to adverse effects. After all, if you breathe correctly in your stomach (you will learn very soon how to learn this), an increase in pressure occurs in the blood vessels that feed the internal organs.
In order to understand the technique, some take more than one month. Mastering the technique of deep breathing will not work at one time. Training is preferably carried out under the supervision of specialists who are versed in breathing exercises. During the first lessons, a person may experience malaise and dizziness.
Rules for breathing exercises
So that the exercises are not useless and do not harm, you need to know how to breathe properly in the stomach. When inhaling and exhaling with a diaphragm, it is necessary to adhere to the following principles:
- Classes are repeated twice a day.
- The duration of one workout should not exceed 10 minutes.
- Beginners breathing exercises are recommended to start with exercises while lying on the floor.
- In the process of mastering the technique, you can start training while standing or sitting.
- It is desirable to engage in breathing exercises in the fresh air, in a secluded place, remote from a large crowd of people, vehicles, industries.
- If the training is planned to be carried out indoors, it is necessary to ventilate it carefully before starting.
- The first exercise begins with an intensive breath. Each subsequent exhalation and inhalation must be performed slowly.
- It is important to control the duration of exhalation: it must be done longer than the inspiration.
- We must not forget about the rhythm of breathing. At first, it should be uniform and only gradually increase in frequency.
The simplest exercise
Classes usually begin with him both for beginners and experienced masters of abdominal breathing. It is necessary to perform it every day, preferably several times - this will help a person quickly learn to own his diaphragm, to feel it. To experience the benefits of deep breathing, you need to complete this simple exercise every day:
- Lie on a hard surface, put a small roller or pillow under your head.
- Bend your knees and put your right hand on your stomach to feel how the respiratory septum tenses and relaxes. The left hand is placed on the chest.
- Then proceed with the exercise by slowly inhaling the nose and feeling the protrusion of the abdominal wall as the lungs fill with air.
- Take a slow exhale with your mouth, tensing the abdominal muscles until it is fully retracted.
The lesson is repeated several times during the day. For one workout, it’s enough to take 5-10 minutes a day. At first, this breathing technique may seem complicated, but as the diaphragmatic septum strengthens, the exercise will seem easier and easier.
The role of proper breathing for yogis
Thanks to the use of abdominal breathing techniques during yoga classes, it is possible to saturate the body with oxygen as much as possible, eliminate muscle cramps, relieve general tension, relax and prepare for the transition from one asana to another. In addition, the goal of breathing exercises is to help the yogi achieve a state in which all attention is directed to the sensation of his own body. The abdominal technique allows you to relax and discover internal barriers, clamps, blocks that you can get rid of thanks to deep breathing and subsequently enjoy your classes.
Oxisize Weight Loss Technique
Today this program is very popular among those who want to get rid of extra pounds. It is based on nothing but diaphragmatic breathing. The Oxisize slimming technique involves losing weight through non-intense sports training and breathing exercises that accelerate the flow of metabolic processes in the body. One of the exercises of the program is performed on a deep breath with a rounded belly. The bottom line is to take a few small breaths and, without holding your breath, exhale sharply, and then still make a few small exhalations. This is a simple type of breathing technique, but in order to perform it automatically, it will take several workouts.
Ancient Chinese Qigong Therapy
This type of alternative treatment has been used in the Middle Kingdom for several millennia. Many people call qigong ancient Chinese art, which helps to strengthen the body and increase its resistance to various diseases. Modern Chinese people believe that qigong gymnastics prolongs life and improves a person’s spiritual state.
Interestingly, ancient Eastern therapy became known not so long ago, despite the many practicing schools in which various approaches were borrowed and mixed. At the same time, their diaphragm was common. In qigong therapy, the abdominal technique of inspiration and expiration is used.
One of the popular exercises of Chinese gymnastics is the Wave. It is performed in a prone position, with limbs bent at the knees. One hand must be put on the chest, the other on the stomach. Taking a breath, a person should imagine that the air fills not only his lungs, but also is distributed throughout the body, fills each cell with itself. The arm that lies on the stomach should rise and fall with each movement of the diaphragm, and the arm that is located on the chest should remain motionless.
Sport and deep breathing
After attending the first trainings in the fitness club, many are surprised that the instructors devote their first lessons to breathing exercises. Professional emphasize the novice athletes on the importance of proper breathing. During sports training, inhalation and exhalation should be rhythmic, uniform, but it is undesirable to retain air in the lungs, as this can negatively affect the effectiveness of the exercise.
The thing is that with increased physical exertion, metabolic processes proceed faster. However, with a lack of oxygen, the metabolism stops. If the athlete breathes through his mouth, the load on the heart and blood vessels will increase, and the body will suffer from a lack of oxygen. Improper breathing is the main mistake of athletes, because of which, instead of pleasant tiredness after training, they feel a breakdown, weakness and lack of vital energy. For athletes, diaphragmatic breathing is of particular importance, and it can be used not only in the gym, but also in everyday life.
Home Workout Plan
You can do breathing exercises in various body positions. It was previously noted how to do this while lying on your back. The main thing is to try to relax as much as possible and make sure that your breathing is even. When inhaling, the stomach should be rounded, and when exhaling, retract.
A sitting lesson is carried out in a comfortable chair. It should not be too soft, but it is desirable that it be equipped with a back. Sitting on a chair, you need to relax the muscles. Judging by the reviews, many manage to focus on their feelings, just closing their eyes. Breathing exercises are recommended in complete silence. You need to breathe so that the abdomen, when inhaled, is inflated, becomes round, and when exhaled, is retracted. In this case, the chest and shoulders should be motionless. The duration of the exercise is 2-3 minutes.
The next step in the training is called dog breathing. For its implementation, it is necessary to take a knee-elbow pose, resting on the forearm. In this position of the body, all the abdominal muscles relax well. To feel how the diaphragm works, you need to quickly and often breathe in and out through your mouth. After some time (after about 1 minute), lung function, compression and relaxation of the diaphragmatic septum will become much clearer.
The "vacuum" technique of breathing with the stomach is used to lose weight and maintain muscle tone in the abdominal muscles. For those who are just beginning to comprehend the basics of proper breathing, exercise can seem quite complicated. To execute it, you need:
- lie on your back and bend your legs, stretch your arms along the body;
- take a deep breath, trying to release all the air from the lungs;
- then deeply draw in the stomach and try to hold this position for 20-30 seconds;
- relax your stomach and exhale slowly.
What mistakes to avoid
Before you start learning breathing exercises, you need to pay attention to the theoretical side of this issue. Most people make the same mistakes during training, including:
- a sharp increase in respiratory load - the first workouts should not be intense and prolonged, the body will gradually adapt to an increase in oxygen in the lungs;
- conducting classes immediately after eating - ideally, at least four hours after eating;
- performing breathing exercises in the presence of peptic ulcer of the gastrointestinal tract, arterial hypertension or other cardiovascular pathologies in the anamnesis;
- conducting trainings from time to time, periodically - to get the expected therapeutic effect, you need to do daily.