Five More Pranayama (Breathing) Exercises!

Pranayama is the conscious awareness of breath, and breath is the force that can energize or relax the body. It is known that conscious, controlled breathing will purify the blood and the respiratory system with the enrichment of increased oxygen.

The doctors and medical professionals at Riverside ER, a 24-hour emergency care center located near you in New Braunfels, Texas, want to educate the public on the benefits of breathing exercises.

Below are five breathing exercises for further enrichment.

Square Breathing

Breathing is more than inhaling and exhaling. Actually, there are four components to breathing: inhale, pause, exhale, pause; hence, the square.

Square breathing is the consciousness and controlling of each component over equal time. Many people begin by practicing each step to a 4-count pace and increase the count over time. There is an app, Health Through Breathing-Pranayama, that will help with the steady count.

1:2 Breathing

This practice is called 1:2 because the exhale is twice as long as the inhale. This type of breathing is best performed at night as it is known to reduce insomnia, anxiety and sleep disturbances.

Bee Breathing

This practice received its name from the sound at the exhale. Begin with placing the index fingers on the cartilage between the cheeks and ears. Gently press the skin to cover the ears, close the eyes, breathe in through the nose, and create a buzzing/humming sound from the throat.

This will be like saying the letter “M” through the complete exhale. Bee breathing will elongate the exhale to reduce tension, frustration, anger and anxiety.

Cooling Breath

This exercise is for those with the genetic disposition to roll both sides of the tongue inward. To begin, stick out the tongue, roll the sides inward toward the center, inhale through the mouth and exhale through the nose.

The tongue cools the air on the inhale. This technique is said to reduce body temperature and calm the nervous system.

Lion Pose

This exercise will make one look rather foolish, but the results will be worth it.

Begin by sitting back on your heels with your shins on the floor. Close your eyes, breathe in through the nose and on the exhale, look up at the ceiling. When looking up, open your mouth, stick out your tongue downward toward the chin and produce a loud “Haaaa”, sounding like a roar.

The medical professionals at Riverside ER, located in New Braunfels, Texas, know the benefits of breathing exercises to promote an enriched and healthy lifestyle.