Breathing is something we do all day, every day - but for most people it never gets a second thought. However, breathing correctly, and making time for breathing exercises can really help improve various conditions and symptoms, some of which we’ll discuss below.
Making time for breathing exercises doesn’t need to be difficult, and there are plenty of amazing meditation guides, and follow-along apps that offer free breathing exercises to experiment with. Don’t overthink it, start with giving yourself 10 minutes a day, and then once you start seeing and feeling the benefits, assign a little more time week by week.
The benefits of breathing exercises have been proven time and time again, so it won’t take much to convince you of the wonderful powers of breathing correctly.
Stress relief
Breathing deeply and slowly and making time for breath-led meditation has been shown to reduce stress levels in most people. Meditation, especially breath-led meditation, is a calming and peaceful experience. It lets your brain relax, and encourages you to focus only on the sound and rate of your breathing. It takes practise, but making time for this every day could lead to being less stress, more focussed and more positive.
Increases Energy
Our bodies need oxygen to live, and deep breathing and breathing exercises provide your body with its most important fuel - oxygen. Deep breathing increases your levels of oxygen, and helps you function more energetically and more productively.
Relieves tension and relaxes muscles
Most breathing exercises are focused on relaxing the body and putting the focus on a very simple goal - maintaining long, deep, controlled breaths. This is great for the rest of your body, because it means you’ll need to relax and relieve any tension you’ve been holding onto.
It can help improve your Lymphatic system
Your lymphatic system is how your body rids itself of unwanted toxins, fluids, fats etc. As a bodily function, the lymphatic system is heavily reliant on your muscle movement - which is helped hugely by oxygen and keeping your body fuelled with enough oxygen to function at its best. When your lymphatic system is functioning properly, it can help fight off infection - so this benefit is a huge one.
Pain relief
For many women in labour, or in pregnancy, breathing exercises can help them manage and control the intense physical pain they feel. For women experiencing pregnancy, there’s no better time to start experimenting with breathing exercises, as it can have such a positive impact on the way you can deal with and cope with pain.
Improves your focus
A short session of breathing exercises can really help improve your focus for the day. If you’re finding yourself struggling to focus at work, then breathing exercises harness that energy and channel it into something positive. Meditation and breathing exercises have shown to increase staff productivity and efficiency when performed for 10 minutes before starting work each day.
If you'd like to learn more about how to manage stress & improve your mental health alongside breathing exercises, we offer a wide variety of mind therapies, or you can browse all our therapy types here.
