A set of exercises for the respiratory system. Breathing exercises to calm the nervous system, relieve tension and deep sleep

Special exercises for the treatment of hypertension and arrhythmias

Breathing exercises are an excellent method of dealing with high blood pressure and arrhythmia. Properly selected set of breathing exercises will help calm the nervous system, restore the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system, and in some cases even help in the fight against chronic insomnia.

Such treatment will not take much of your time. For all 3 therapeutic exercises, you will need no more than 5-10 minutes a day.

I just want to warn those readers who expect instant miracles from classes: not all at once! You must understand that you are unlikely to be able to cure a neglected arrhythmia or hypertension in a few days with the help of breathing exercises alone.
It will take time and some diligence - these exercises well reduce high blood pressure and restore heart rate only with regular exercise.

Observation of Dr. Evdokimenko.
At first, my patients manage to reduce pressure with these exercises only 10-20 units (mm Hg) per set. But after two to three weeks of training, the results become better. Many of my patients manage to reduce pressure by 30-40 units in one session.
In general, if you show patience and do these exercises every day, your nervous system will become much more stable, the pressure will stabilize and stop jumping. Up and down pressure fluctuations will be much weaker. The rhythm of the heart gradually also stabilizes.

To achieve the desired result, it is necessary to do special breath holding exercises. Below is a detailed description of them.

Video: Breathing exercises for pressure and arrhythmia

Breathing Exercise #1: Deep Abdominal Breathing

It can be performed at any time - morning, afternoon or evening. But not earlier than 2 hours after eating!

Benefits of this exercise: after it, breathing normalizes and calmness occurs nervous system. The diaphragm is trained. Stimulates the intestines, liver and pancreas. Constipation is eliminated. The ribs straighten and the vital capacity of the lungs increases.

Performing the exercise:

Performed sitting or standing. The back is straight! The palms of the hands lie on the stomach (for control), but do not press on the stomach.

Take (strictly through the nose!) A very slow deep breath with your stomach - that is, stick out your stomach when you inhale. Having filled the stomach with air, “breathe in” the air into the chest, straighten it - that is, push the chest slightly forward and up.
If you can, intensify the exercise by bringing the shoulder blades together - that is, pull your shoulders back and bring your shoulder blades together.

After that, start a slow exhalation (strictly through the nose!). First, exhale the air from the abdomen - "deflate the stomach", draw it in.

Then continue exhaling, blowing the air out of the lungs - slightly tilt your head down and move your shoulders forward to “squeeze out” the maximum amount of air remaining in them from the lungs.

Exhaling completely, hold your breath for about 5-10 seconds as you exhale. Then rest - breathe normally for about a minute.

Then repeat the exercise. Do it (with minute breaks) 3 times - but no more!

Important: when performing the exercise, learn to perform it smoothly and without breaks - when you inhale, immediately after filling the abdomen with air, there should be a smooth transition of the respiratory movement to the chest (that is, filling the lungs with air).

On exhalation, the same thing - immediately after squeezing air out of the abdomen, there should be a smooth transition to squeezing air out of the lungs (compression of the chest).

At first, it will be difficult for you to make such smooth transitions from the abdomen to the chest, but after a few days you will learn to perform all this movement “without a hitch”, and you will do it automatically.

By the way, for men, abdominal breathing (belly breathing) is given very simply - since men initially breathe due to the abdominal muscles.
But at first, women will have to suffer, because by nature women have a chest type of breathing. And the inclusion of the abdominal muscles in the respiratory movement in women usually takes from three days to 2 weeks. Do not worry, dear ladies - it will be much easier for you, you will learn how to perform this exercise no worse than men!

Keep in mind that in the first few days after doing the exercise, you will feel dizzy - this is normal. This effect of performing abdominal breathing will soon disappear. And in a week or two, your dizziness will stop.

Strengthened version of exercise number 1: About a week after the start of classes, when you learn how to correctly and smoothly perform deep abdominal breathing, you can try to do the same exercise in an enhanced version: immediately before doing the exercise, press your tongue against the palate. And then do everything as you did before in exercise No. 1, but with your tongue pressed to the palate.

After that, compare the result of the enhanced version of the exercise with its original version: check your blood pressure and heart rate, listen to your feelings and evaluate your well-being.

After weighing all this, choose which of the two options suits you best - simple breathing exercise number 1, or the option with the tongue pressed against the palate.

Breathing Exercise #2: Slow Exhalation

After about 10 days from the start of classes, add an exercise to slow the exhalation to deep abdominal breathing.

Benefits of exercise: the same as from the first exercise. But there are also special bonuses. By slowing down exhalation, blood pressure is better stabilized. The heart is trained. Improves blood supply to the brain. The nervous system calms down faster.

Performance:

The exercise is performed in much the same way as the first, but with three differences:

The first difference is that when you take a full deep breath, do not hold your breath, but immediately start exhaling.
Second. Try to slow your exhalation - try to make the exhalation be about 2 times longer than the inhalation.
Third. After doing the exercise (that is, after the end of the exhalation), do not pause for a minute "for breathing rest", but immediately repeat the exercise again. Once again. That is a total of 3 times.

Breathing exercise number 3: slowing down the breath on exhalation

After another week, you can add an exercise to hold your breath to the first two exercises.

Benefits of exercise: enhances the effect of the first two exercises.

Performance:

The exercise is performed in almost the same way as exercise number 1. Take (strictly through the nose!) A very slow deep breath into the stomach - that is, sticking out the stomach when inhaling.

Having filled the stomach with air, “breathe in” the air into the chest - straighten the chest (that is, push the chest slightly forward and up). Strengthen the exercise by bringing the shoulder blades together - take your shoulders back and bring your shoulder blades together.

Now, inhaling as deeply as you can, hold your breath for 5-7 seconds.

After that, start a slow exhalation (strictly through the nose!). First, exhale the air from the abdomen - "deflate the stomach", draw it in. Then continue exhaling, blowing the air out of the lungs - slightly tilt your head down and slightly forward your shoulders to "squeeze" the remaining air out of the lungs.

And now attention! Here begins the difference from the first exercise.

After exhaling, when you have removed almost all the air from the lungs, lower your chin to your chest and hold your breath (as you exhale). Don't breathe as much as you can. Ideally, at least 20-30 seconds. But not longer than 40 seconds.
Then give yourself a rest - breathe normally for about a minute. Then repeat the exercise again. Do not repeat the exercise for the third time - two approaches are enough.

It is important! If you suffer from hypertension, after doing breathing exercises, be sure to measure your blood pressure! But not immediately, but after 10-15 minutes.
Track your pressure response to breathing exercises. In most people, the pressure from them normalizes - normal pressure remains the same, but increased pressure gradually decreases to normal.

However, a small percentage of people (about 10%) have an abnormal reaction to these breathing exercises - on the contrary, the pressure rises. If you fall into these 10%, do not tempt fate, do not wait for the result to appear later, and immediately stop exercising.

There is nothing wrong with that - one method of treating hypertension did not fit, another will do. Go back to the chapters on treating hypertension and find some other way to deal with high blood pressure.

In order to determine the rhythm of correct breathing, it is necessary to sit on a chair in a free, relaxed posture. Clothing should not constrain the body. Then you should close your eyes and wait for the moment when you will feel your own breathing. It does not need to be forced, just feel the moments of inhalation and exhalation. The task is to pay attention to the sequence of filling and emptying the lungs. First you need to smoothly fill the lower part of the lungs with air - the stomach moves forward, the diaphragm goes down, and then the middle one - while the ribs and chest rise, finally the upper part is filled - the collarbones rise, the stomach pulls up to the spine. When exhaling, the stomach should first be drawn in, the diaphragm should rise, and then the chest and shoulders should fall. Wavy movements during inhalation and exhalation should be soft, smooth, without sharp shocks and tension.

Many people think that rhythmic breathing is natural process that does not require additional effort. Most people take 15-20 breaths per minute without getting enough oxygen.

To determine the uniformity of your breathing, you need to do the following exercise: sit on a chair, relax, inhale and exhale 3 times in a row. On the fourth breath, count how long the breath lasts. Record the time in seconds. Then inhale and determine the time during which you can not inhale air into the lungs. The resulting time is compared with the first indicator. In most cases, the duration of inhalation and exhalation will be different: for some, the inhalation is too short, for others, the exhalation is too short. It is necessary to correct your breathing in such a way that the duration of the inhalation coincides with the exhalation.

The formula for correct breathing in the normal state of the body is as follows: exhale - inhale - exhale - hold the breath - inhale.

Mastering proper breathing should begin with mastering static breathing exercises, which, as a rule, are performed at rest: lying, sitting and standing. The specificity of static exercises is the impact on the selected link in the complex chain of the mechanism of external respiration - on the respiratory muscles.

Such training consists of exercises to develop even and rhythmic breathing, slow chest excursions, cultivate a rational type of breathing, change the structure of the respiratory cycle, and lower the level of breathing.

After completing the preparatory course of static exercises, you can move on to dynamic breathing exercises.

Dynamic breathing exercises are performed with the participation of the main and auxiliary muscles of the musculoskeletal system. The complex includes exercises that facilitate the implementation of respiratory movements and increase the ventilation of individual segments of the lungs.

When performing sets of exercises to develop proper breathing for the development of inspiration, in addition to contraction of the external and internal intercostal muscles, the sternoclavicular-nipple, scalene, pectoralis major and minor, serratus anterior, rhomboid and levator scapular muscles are mobilized.

For the development of exhalation, which during calm breathing is a decrease in the chest due to the elastic traction of the chest itself, the internal intercostal, square lumbar, posterior lower dentate, abdominal (straight, external and internal oblique, transverse) muscles are used. When performing breathing exercises, in which these muscles are involved, a full inhalation and exhalation are produced.

Respiratory static and dynamic exercises provide an influx of impulses from the cerebral cortex, which increases the excitability of the respiratory center: breathing deepens and quickens. Contractions of skeletal muscles are the trigger mechanism for respiration and irritation coming from the respiratory apparatus itself, provide reflex self-regulation of respiration.

Particular importance in the development of proper breathing should be given to the nasolabial reflex.

Before starting exercises to develop proper breathing, it is necessary to give a load to the skeletal muscles (fast walking, squats, jumps, etc.), intensify metabolic processes in the tissues and cells of the body, that is, cause an increased need for oxygen. This will enhance tissue respiration and reduce hypoxia by increasing oxygen uptake.

Training for proper breathing should take into account the need for a full breath and a deep exhalation. Exercises with smooth, rhythmic nasal breathing facilitate the work of the heart, increase the respiratory movements of the chest and diaphragm, and stimulate the non-cardiac mechanism of blood circulation. The normal activity of the nervous system and the external respiratory apparatus is restored, the vital capacity of the lungs increases, blood and tissues are actively saturated with oxygen, which affects a significant improvement in the general condition.

Exercises to develop proper breathing should be carried out in a well-ventilated room or in the warm season on outdoors in comfortable, non-constricting clothing.

In order to self-control at the first stages of development, it is advisable to do exercises in front of a mirror.

Breathing exercises for the development of proper breathing

Full breath while lying or standing

Exhale, take a long breath through the nose. During inhalation, the abdominal muscles protrude, and then the chest expands. When exhaling, the volume of the chest first decreases, and then the stomach is drawn in.

Chest breathing while lying down, sitting or standing

Exhale, take a long breath through the nose. When performing the exercise, the chest expands, and the stomach is retracted. When exhaling, the chest falls, and the stomach protrudes.

Abdominal breathing while lying down, sitting or standing

Exhale, take a long breath through the nose. At this time, the stomach protrudes. When exhaling, the anterior abdominal wall retracts.

Side breathing while standing

Place the palm of the left hand on the side of the chest, closer to the armpit, lower the right hand and exhale. Leaning to the left, put your right hand on your head, while taking a deep breath through your nose. Then return to the starting position - exhale through the nose. Change the position of the hands and do the same exercise on the other side.

During dynamic breathing exercises for the development of proper breathing, movements are performed with the limbs, head, torso.

A set of dynamic breathing exercises for the development of proper breathing

Development of a full extended exhalation:

Walking at an average pace. Inhale and exhale only through the nose. At every third step - inhale, at the fourth step - exhale. The duration of the exhalation should be gradually increased by one count (5, b, 7, etc.) so that after 6 weeks the exhalation takes 12 steps. The duration of the walk should reach from 1 to 3 minutes;

Stand up, feet shoulder width apart. Exhale. Inhaling through the nose, raise your arms forward and up, bend well in the thoracic and lumbar regions, then slowly lower your arms through the sides and exhale. Repeat 5 times;

Stand up, feet shoulder width apart. Exhale. Rise on your toes, hands behind your head, bring your shoulder blades together, inhale, lower yourself on a full foot, relax your hands down, lean forward and exhale. Repeat 6-7 times.

Air massage of the nasal mucosa:

Stand up, feet shoulder width apart. Exhale. The mouth must be tightly closed. Slowly alternately inhale and exhale either the right or the left nostril of the nose, while pressing the opposite one with your finger. Repeat 4-5 times;

Get up, exhale. Pinch your nose with your fingers. Slowly count out loud to 10, and then, removing your fingers from your nose, take a deep breath and exhale completely through your nose, while closing your mouth tightly. Repeat 4 times.

Development of rational breathing:

Stand up, feet shoulder width apart - inhale. Tilt your head forward - exhale. Return to starting position - inhale;

Rotate the head to the right, to the left, breathe arbitrarily, avoid holding the breath;

Sit up straight, hands on your knees. Spread your arms to the sides - inhale, bring your hands together in front of you - exhale;

Stand up, feet shoulder width apart. Raise your hands up - inhale, lower your hands down - exhale;

Starting position standing or sitting. Squeeze and unclench the fingers, when squeezing - inhale;

Starting position standing or sitting. Movement in the wrist joints, breathing is free;

Starting position standing or sitting. Simultaneous circular movement of the arms in the shoulder joints forward and then backward, that is, to describe the surface of a cone of various diameters, breathing is free;

Starting position standing or sitting. Simultaneous swings of the arms forward - inhale, back - exhale;

Starting position standing, sitting or lying down - exhale. Lean forward - inhale, bend in the lumbar-thoracic spine - exhale;

Stand up, feet shoulder width apart. Rotation (right and left). When bending back - inhale, when leaning forward - exhale;

Stand up, feet shoulder width apart. Raise the right leg forward - inhale, lower - exhale, repeat the same actions with the other leg;

Sit on a chair, put your hands on your knees. Raise both legs forward - inhale, lower - exhale;

Sit on a chair, put your hands on your knees. Simultaneous rotational movements of the legs (circles) - breathing is free;

Sit on a chair, put your hands on your knees. Movement in the joints of the feet (flexion, extension) - breathing is free;

Stand up, feet shoulder width apart. Squat on one leg - inhale, return to the starting position - exhale, repeat the same actions with the other leg;

Stand up, feet shoulder width apart. Squat on two legs - inhale, return to the starting position - exhale;

Stand up, feet shoulder width apart. Lunge forward with one leg - inhale, return to the starting position - exhale, repeat the same actions with the other leg;

Stand up, feet shoulder width apart. Lunge back with one leg - inhale, return to the starting position - exhale, repeat the same actions with the other leg.

All exercises for the development of rational breathing are recommended to be repeated 4-8 times.

Deep breath, hold your breath. On a respiratory pause, slowly raise straight arms to the sides, join the palms in front of the chest, then behind the back, lower the arms - exhale;

Deep breath, hold your breath. On a respiratory pause, make circular movements with your hands back and forth (one movement in each direction) - exhale;

Inhale deeply, touching your shoulders with your fingertips. On a respiratory pause, slowly connect and again spread the elbows - exhale;

Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, inhale deeply. On a respiratory pause, rise on toes, while raising straight arms through the sides up, return to the starting position ~ exhale;

Stand up straight, feet together, take a deep breath. On a respiratory pause, slowly sit down and stand up - exhale.

The development of proper breathing should occur gradually, the intensity and duration of classes is determined by the doctor. In the first months of training, exercises that require a lot of effort to perform should be excluded.

All exercises are performed without jerks, rhythmically and smoothly. Proper breathing is developed and developed during physical training, provided that during execution the breathing is rhythmic, even, calm, deep and, as a rule, only through the nose under normal aeration conditions.

Exercises for the development of proper breathing should be regularly updated and diversified in order to cover all muscle groups, the entire musculoskeletal system. After mastering the elementary static and dynamic exercises for the development of breathing, you can move on to more intense exercises, provided that a simple workout after two weeks of classes does not cause the slightest shortness of breath, but only cheerfulness and good mood are felt.

A set of breathing exercises with complex movements

The task of the exercises is to include the maximum surface of the lungs in the work, improve gas exchange and activate the overall flow of blood and lymph.

Exercises with complex movements to train proper breathing are only suitable for healthy people without cardiovascular diseases. When performing, one should not pause through force if there is a desire to take a breath.

Exercises for the work of the surface of the lungs

Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart. Straighten your arms above your head, interlace your fingers - exhale. As you inhale, bend over, bending and lowering your arms past your face, chest, abdomen, trying to touch the floor with your palms. Slowly straighten up - exhale;

Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, arms to the sides. As you inhale, clasp yourself with your hands, touching your shoulder blades with your fingers, as you exhale, spread your arms;

Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, hands on the belt. Sit down slowly and deeply while inhaling, slowly straighten up while exhaling;

Sit on your heels, join your hands behind the lock. While inhaling, slowly bend over, trying to touch the floor with your forehead, while exhaling, straighten up;

Lie on your back. While inhaling, raise straight legs and bend the torso, touching the toes of the floor behind the head, while exhaling, slowly lower the legs;

Lie on your back, bend your legs, pull your feet to the pelvis, put your hands on your ankles. While inhaling, pull your knees to your stomach with your hands, while exhaling, return to the starting position.

Stand up straight, put your right foot in front of your left, take your right hand back, straight left hand pull forward and up. While inhaling, vigorously change the position of the hands, waving the left foot until the toe touches right hand. Return to starting position - exhale; Sit on your heels, tilt your head to your knees, straighten your arms forward. As you exhale, stretch forward, sliding your palms along the floor, until your chest touches your knees, while inhaling, return to the starting position.

Repeat each exercise 3-6 times.

Complete the cycle of exercises with free walking with voluntary breathing.

Breath holding exercises

Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, arms freely lowered, take a deep breath. On a respiratory pause, squat deeply, lowering your head and clasping your knees with your hands, then slowly return to the starting position and take a breath;

Get on your knees, put your hands on your waist. Take a deep breath and then exhale completely. On a respiratory pause, tilt the body back, without helping with your hands, slowly get up and return to the starting position, take a breath;

Sit on your heels, take a deep breath, and then exhale completely. On a respiratory pause, lean back until the shoulder blades touch the floor, and then return to the starting position and take a breath;

Take an emphasis lying down, take a deep breath, and then exhale completely. On a respiratory pause, with a push of the legs, take an emphasis crouching, return to the starting position, take a breath;

Sit on the floor, straighten your legs, put your palms under your hips, take a deep breath, and then exhale completely. On a respiratory pause, slowly bend your face to your knees, then return to the starting position and take a breath;

Sit on the floor, back support, take a deep breath, and then exhale completely. On a respiratory pause, bend over, take an emphasis lying behind, return to the starting position, exhale;

Lie on your back, straighten your legs, spread them apart. Take a deep breath and then exhale completely. On a respiratory pause, bend into hip joint, raise the legs and body until the socks touch the hands, return to the starting position, take a breath;

Lie on your stomach, bend over, grab your ankles with your hands from behind. Take a deep breath and then exhale completely. On a respiratory pause, bend as much as possible, relax, take a breath.

Each of the exercises should end with free breathing. At the beginning of classes, it is recommended to do no more than 1~2 repetitions at the beginning of classes. The number of repetitions should not exceed 6-8 times.

Exercises for the development of rational breathing

Sit on the floor with your back straight and legs crossed. Stretch your arms in front of you and close. Take a deep breath while pulling your shoulders back and touching your chest with your hands. Return to starting position, exhale slowly. Repeat 10 times;

Sit on the floor, cross your legs, put your hands on your head, palms up. Inhale deeply as you slowly raise your arms above your head. Lowering your arms, exhale slowly. Repeat 10 times;

Lie on your stomach, stretch your arms along the torso. Bend over, raising arms, legs, head, chest, inhale deeply. Returning to the starting position, exhale slowly. Repeat 10 times;

Lie on your back, put your hands along the body with your palms on the floor, close your legs. After that, sit down, helping yourself with your hands. Bend back while taking a deep breath. Return to starting position, exhale slowly. Repeat 10 times;

Lie on your back, put your hands along the body with your palms on the floor, bend your legs slightly. Raise your stomach, helping yourself with your shoulders, but without taking your feet off the floor, take a deep breath. Returning to the starting position, exhale slowly. Repeat 10 times;

Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, arms extended in front of you. Take a deep breath. After that, without stopping the breath, raise your arms above your head to the sides. Lowering your arms, start exhaling and continue it until your arms reach shoulder level. Hold the breath while continuing to lower the arms. Finish exhaling. Repeat 10-20 times;

Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart. Breathe in and then slowly exhale. After completing the breath, put your hands on your hips, take a slow and deep breath through your nose, trying to stick out your chest as much as possible. Exhale slowly. Repeat 10-15 times.

When a person is very worried, they say to him: "breathe deeply." During severe stress, the processes occurring in the body begin to accelerate, so it needs more oxygen. Or, conversely, in situations where a person is in a nervous, tense state that requires heightened attention, breathing slows down, becomes rare. For example, while watching a spectacular circus stunt, spectators are in a state that is usually referred to as "watching with bated breath." This interrelation of the psyche and breathing makes it possible to use regular breathing exercises to calm the nerves. People who master the technique of proper breathing have the ability to control their mood, mental state, and relax the nervous system.

• What kind of breathing is used for relaxation?
• Basic breathing methods
• Rules for performing breathing exercises
• The simplest breathing exercises
• Exercises to Calm the Nervous System
• Breathing to relax and clear the mind
• Breathing exercises for sleep

What kind of breathing is used for relaxation?

Any breathing exercises to calm the nervous system of an adult are based on setting a strict rhythm. After all, it is important to understand that the effect of breathing exercises on the body depends on the strength and frequency of breaths, their depth, and the duration of breath holding. If you breathe shallowly, too often, then small portions of oxygen will enter the lungs, and the calming effect will not be achieved. Moreover, there will be stimulation of the nervous system, which will cause an increase in its activity.

Therefore, any breathing exercises are based on measured and deep breathing. In this case, the lungs are more fully filled with air, which leads to the enrichment of all tissues of the body with oxygen, due to which blood pressure normalizes, muscle spasm, the brain begins to work better, and the nervous system relaxes.

Basic breathing methods

There are 4 types of breathing in breathing exercises:

• filling with oxygen of the upper parts of the lungs, when breaths are taken by the movements of the collarbones;
• chest breathing, when the ribs open and contract;
• abdominal breathing with the help of the abdominal muscles, due to which the diaphragm begins to move, the internal organs are massaged and oxygenated;
• a wave-like way of breathing, in which the three methods of breathing described above are sequentially activated.

These breathing methods are basic, and on their basis other breathing techniques have been invented that are used to strengthen and calm the nerves.

Rules for performing breathing exercises

When choosing soothing breathing movements, you need to learn the most important rules for any technique, non-compliance with which will bring all efforts to nothing:

• Any breathing exercises to calm the nervous system should be done in a lying or standing position, in which the back would be completely straight.
• Exercises are best done with closed eyes, meditating and imagining pleasant pictures and images.
• You need to fully concentrate on the process of breathing, at first it will have to be controlled consciously. Gradually, the need for conscious control of inhalations and exhalations, but it will be necessary to continue to concentrate on the very process of breathing.
• The mind should be rid of any negative thoughts, and all muscles should be completely relaxed. The relaxation of the muscles should be performed smoothly - from the tips of the toes and further up the body, paying special attention to the face, neck and shoulders, in which the muscles are most tense.
• Calming exercises need to be repeated 5-10 times, but do not overstrain at the same time. Before moving on to the next exercise, you need to wait a bit so that the body has time to adapt.
• While inhaling, you need to imagine how the body, along with oxygen, is filled with calmness and pure energy. During exhalation, you need to imagine how the accumulated tension is “squeezed out” of the body.

• It is also useful during breathing exercises to repeat to yourself settings like “I am calming down”, “I am calm”, “I am relaxing”, etc. Such formulations should not contain negative particles “not” and simply negative content (“I am not anxious ”), and forms of the future tense (“I will calm down soon”).

The simplest breathing exercises

The first breathing exercises are based on nasal breathing, you need to start them with a full exhalation, using complex breathing.

• Belly breathing. The abdomen expands during a deep inhalation and falls down during a slow exhalation. The duration of the breath is 3-4 seconds, after which it is required to hold the breath for a couple of seconds, and then exhale for 4-5 seconds. The interval between breaths is 2-3 seconds.
• Breathing in the chest. Inhale - the ribs "open" for 3-4 seconds, then hold the breath for 2 seconds. After there is an exhalation, the chest “shrinks” for 4-5 seconds. Then 2-3 seconds break, and the exercise is repeated.
• Clavicular breathing, in which the clavicles rise when inhaling, and lower when exhaling. The intervals and duration of the exercise are the same.
• Wave-like breathing, in which the breath begins from the abdomen, then continues through the chest and ends with the collarbones. Exhalation occurs in the opposite direction. The final stage should be carried out especially measuredly.

Exercises to Calm the Nervous System

Often in everyday life you can hear a fairly common phrase: "All diseases are from nerves." Indeed, the state of the nervous system has a close relationship with the state of health. And among those people who do not know how to control their nerves, very often there are hypertension, ulcers, cores.

Exercise #1

This stress relief exercise can be done in any position that suits you - sitting or standing. First you need to take a deep breath. Then you need to hold your breath, mentally imagine a circle and slowly exhale it. Exhale in this way three more circles, and then imagine a square and also mentally exhale it twice.

Exercise #2

The exercise is done lying on your back. It is necessary to establish rhythmic, calm breathing and imagine that with each breath your lungs fill up. life force, and on exhalation it spills over all parts of the body.

Exercise #3

According to many experts, yawning helps to fill the blood with oxygen and release it from excess carbon dioxide. Also, during a yawn, there is tension in the muscles of the mouth, face, neck, which leads to an acceleration of blood flow in the vessels of the brain. A yawn helps to improve the blood supply to the lungs and expel blood from the liver, increase the tone of the body and create impulses of positive emotions.

These positive properties of a yawn are used by the Japanese, who work in the electrical industry - every half hour they do breathing exercises that help a lot with tension. They unanimously break away from work for a short break in order to yawn in an organized way with the whole team, and then start working again.

A healthy yawn should be correct: it must be done with your eyes closed, and your mouth as wide open as possible. The oral cavity must be tense. In this position, try to pronounce the sound "uuuuu" low and stretched and imagine that a cavity is formed inside the mouth, descending down.

While yawning, you should stretch your whole body. To make the exercise even more effective, you can perform it while smiling. Smiling, as you know, contributes to the formation of a positive emotional impulse and perfectly relaxes the muscles of the face.

Exercise #4

If you have to go through a psychologically tense situation, then in order to maintain self-control in it, self-confidence, conscious control of the situation, it is recommended to do such an exercise. Imagine that in your body at chest level there is a powerful press. Take short and vigorous breaths, clearly feeling the presence of this press in the chest, its strength and heaviness. Then take slow, long exhalations, imagining that the heaviness descends and displaces emotional tension, unpleasant thoughts from the body. Finishing the exercise, you need to mentally “shoot” with the press everything negative emotions into the ground.

Video with exercises to calm the nerves:

Breathing to relax and clear the mind

Exercise #1

Take a fairly deep breath through your mouth, pursing your lips tightly. You need to exhale the air in short jerks, as if pushing it out from the inside, also through pursed lips.

Exercise #2

Take a deep breath, pulling in your stomach. Exhalation is done in short jerks, in portions, through lips folded into a pipe. It is necessary to exhale until the lungs are completely empty. Then wait a few seconds and repeat the exercise.

Exercise #3

Place one hand on your forehead and the other on the back of your head. This position helps to increase blood flow, cleanse the consciousness and mind, get rid of tension and anxiety. Holding your palms in this position, inhale and exhale measuredly, making short breath holdings between inhalations and exhalations.

Exercise #4

Here, the technique of successively clamping the nostrils with the help of the right hand is used. The thumb should be applied to the right nostril, and the little finger to the left. Alternately through both nostrils you need to carry out calm breaths and full exhalations. When the right nostril is blocked, the left hemisphere of the brain is stimulated and vice versa.

Exercise #5

This exercise is used to relieve stress. First, a rather deep, but short breath follows, after which you need to hold your breath for 4 seconds and move on to a deep full exhalation. This is followed by a 5-second pause before the next breath.

Video with calming breathing exercises:

Breathing exercises for sleep

For people who suffer from a disorder such as insomnia, breathing exercises for sleep are recommended, the exercises of which are aimed at training the correct breathing rhythm and normalizing not only sleep, but also the general mental state.

Exercise #1

Take a calm, deep breath, slowly sticking out your stomach, opening your chest and filling it with air. The chest, filled with air, should rise and tighten the stomach. Thus, all parts of your lungs will be filled with air. Then slowly exhale the air from them in the reverse order: first, the lower sections of the lungs are emptied, then the rest, while deflating and lowering the stomach, and then the chest.

Exercise #2

When doing this breathing exercise to improve sleep, you need to make sure that your chest remains as motionless as possible. Take deep breaths, pushing your stomach out, and then exhale the air from your lungs, drawing your stomach back in.

Exercise #3

These breathing exercises for deep sleep will help you relax and cope with insomnia. It uses very simple technique: 5 minutes to carry out light, slow breaths and exhalations, concentrating on the breathing process and listening to your own inner feelings. To make this exercise more effective, it is advisable to press your palms to the solar plexus, and breathe with your chest and stomach.

In the early days, breathing exercises before going to bed should be done no more than 2-3 minutes. In the following days, gradually increase the time of classes.

Excessively intense training can lead to excessive alertness and worsening of the process of falling asleep.

When doing gymnastics, you need to carefully monitor your feelings. If you feel tired and tense, you should immediately stop exercising. Do breathing exercises with a good, calm mood, mentally setting yourself up for a healthy sleep.

Do you use breathing exercises to calm your nerves or improve your sleep? Do they help you? Tell us about it in the comments.

Respiratory function is one of the vital functions of the human body. When we are healthy, we do not notice how this happens, just as we do not fix the heartbeat. Thanks to breathing, every cell of our body receives oxygen, gives off carbon dioxide, thus exercising the right to life.

Since ancient times, people have been trying to optimize breathing, improve oxygen delivery to organs and tissues, cleanse them of waste gases, as they understood that improper breathing leads to negative health consequences. The main ones are:

• Increased fatigue.
• Sleep disturbance.
• Decreased protective function of the body.
• Headache.
• depression.
• Accelerated aging.
• Congestion in the lungs.
• Increased risk of developing bronchopulmonary pathology.
• Infectious processes in the respiratory system.

Ancient exercises for the lungs have survived to our time, which not only have not lost their relevance, but have also gained additional popularity. Someone is fond of the gymnastics of the monks of Tibetan monasteries, someone is closer to yoga.

What breathing exercises for the lungs are used today, what health problems they solve, whether there are people who will not benefit from such practices and are even prohibited - we will answer these questions.

Types of breathing

Through systematic training, a person is able to develop various respiratory types:

• Upper - inhale with the upper chest, the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall are tense.
• Medium - in this case, the chest and intercostal spaces increase in volume, the ribs and diaphragm rise.
• Lower - in this case, breathing is carried out with the stomach.
• The opposite is true - in this case, when exhaling, the stomach is relaxed, and the chest does not increase its volume.
• Full - breathing is carried out with the help of the entire chest.
• Delayed.

Breathing exercises are best done under the supervision of a physiotherapist.

Indications and contraindications

Before you start doing breathing exercises for the lungs, you need to decide for what purpose you intend to do this. Most often, people choose one or another complex to obtain the following results:

• Increase physical endurance.
• Normalize sleep and psycho-emotional state.
• Maintain youthfulness and elasticity of the skin, prevent wrinkles.
• Boost immunity.
• Prevent occupational diseases.
• Improve the condition and function of the bronchi and lungs.
• Restore voice.
• Lose weight.

This is not a complete list of indications. With the help of light exercises, you can alleviate the course of many diseases, improve the psychophysical condition of children.

Classes are contraindicated in the following situations:

• During an exacerbation of any chronic diseases.
• With great care, you can carry out breathing practices for pregnant and lactating women. Exercises for them should be simple and easy to do.
• Severe diseases of the cardiovascular system.
• Inflammatory diseases of the female genital area, endometriosis of the uterus, hernia of the esophagus are an obstacle to breathing exercises.

Each technique has its contraindications. For example, for Strelnikova's gymnastics, myopia, high-grade hypertension, and a previous heart attack are contraindications.

Techniques

The following methods are recognized as the most common.

1. Bodyflex. Indicated for people planning to lose weight. The complex enhances the effect of physical exercises.
2. Oxysize. The complex trains the lungs, with it general relaxation is achieved, weight is reduced.
3. Muller gymnastics. Trains the lungs, improves immunity.
4. Gymnastics according to Buteyko. The goal is the treatment of pulmonary pathology.
5. Tibetan breathing exercises. Helps overall health and prolongs life.
6. Strelnikova complex. First of all, it helps to improve breathing. In addition, it is used to restore the voice, improve overall well-being and lose weight.

Let's take a closer look at all these methods.

Bodyflex

What exercises does the gymnastic complex consist of:

• First exercise. The neck is extended, the lower jaw is pushed forward, the lips are folded for a kiss. Raising your head, we carry out a respiratory cycle: exhale - inhale - exhale - pause and relax - hold your breath. At the relaxation stage, straight arms are pulled back to the count of "8". The cycle is repeated 5 times.
• Second exercise. Starts in the same position. After completing 1 breathing cycle, the left palm is placed on the right elbow, the arm is raised above the head to the count of “8”, a breath is taken, and then you can relax. The same is repeated with the right palm on the left elbow. The number of repetitions is performed three times.
• Third exercise. Take the starting position - knee-elbow position, stretch the right leg back, toes rested on the floor. We take a deep breath, raise our leg up and hold until the count of "8", lower it, exhale. Then we perform the same actions with the left foot.

This gymnastics implies that the breathing exercise alternates with the physical one and is performed in the "volleyball player's position". What is characteristic of this posture? The person is in an upright position, the legs are wide apart and bent at the knees, but the hands should be located on the knees.

Oxysize

A continuous cycle of breathing opens the volume of the chest, and at this moment it saturates the body with oxygen as much as possible. Performed standing.

What does Oxysize mean? Inhalation is performed only through the nose, while the stomach is inflated, the pelvis protrudes forward, but the abdominal muscles are relaxed. We make 3 short exhalations, straining the muscles of the buttocks and perineum, a sharp exhalation through the mouth through the lips, folded in a tube, the press is pulled. Runs at least 30 times.

You need to understand that from the very first days you should not expect serious results, although the relief of general well-being will come quickly. Any breathing exercises should be performed systematically for a long time.

Gymnastics according to Muller

What is this gymnastic complex:

• First. It is necessary to stand, while placing your legs shoulder-width apart, and raise your hands, joining the lock, above your head. From this position, the torso is tilted in all directions: forward, right, back, left. We perform 10 respiratory cycles in 1 minute. When tilting, be sure to exhale, when returning to the IP, inhale. This exercise is performed 10 times.
• Second. The legs are spread at shoulder width, while the arms are raised to the sides, parallel to the floor, and the hands should be clenched into a fist. From this position, we tilt the torso forward, and make a turn to the right, while touching the floor surface between the legs with our fists. Straightening up, repeat the same in left side. We perform 5 times in each direction. When tilting, exhale, when straightening, inhale.
• Third. The desired position is lying on your back, with arms bent, which are under the head or straightened along the body. From this position, with straight legs, we describe low circles. Please note that the legs move towards each other, when they meet, they are tightly compressed. So we do 6 circles. Then 2 more large circles, crossing the legs at the meeting. We repeat the same exercise, only this time we move the legs in the other direction. Please note that when doing breathing, we do deep, it should be without delay.

This complex has been known for more than 100 years, and has helped more than one thousand people. A complete course of gymnastics according to Muller consists of 18 exercises. But if you do not have enough patience, you can get by with a shortened course at the first stages. Within a month, you must complete all the exercises.

Buteyko Gymnastics

The essence of the method is to hold the breath. For example, take a breath, hold your breath until you feel short of breath, exhale slowly through your mouth. The same can be done while walking. You can breathe shallowly for 3 minutes, gradually increasing the time to 10 minutes. You can simply train yourself to breathe by reducing the depth of inspiration.

The method effectively treats allergic conditions, bronchial asthma, hypertension.

Tibetan breathing exercises

Tibetan monks have developed many complexes for improving the spine and lungs, longevity, hormonal, for women. The breathing practice, the elements of which are presented below, aims to reduce body weight. Breathing even, deep:

• First exercise. Standing, legs apart shoulder-width apart, arms spread at shoulder level parallel to the floor. We make turns with the body in both directions alternately until a feeling of slight dizziness.
• Second exercise. Lying on your back, arms along the body, palms pressed to the floor. We raise the head, press the chin to the chest, make lifts of straight legs (exhale), when lowering, inhale.
• Third exercise. Starting position - kneeling, knees shoulder width apart. The head is tilted forward, the chin is pressed to the chest. Brushes under the buttocks. Bend in the spine, leaning on the hips, while the head is thrown back (inhale), returned to the IP (exhale).
• Fourth exercise. Sit on a stool, lean back, rest your palms on the floor, throw your head back, raise your torso parallel to the floor, forming a bridge. After a few seconds, return to the IP.
• Fifth exercise. "Cobra Pose" - lying on the stomach, the spine is bent, emphasis on straightened arms. Transition to the “dog pose” (inhale). Return to the "cobra pose" - exhale.

We repeat each exercise no more than 21 times.

Gymnastics according to Strelnikova

Breathing - intense every second loud breath against the background of physical exercises, imperceptible exhalation.

An example would be to take a long breath in while standing, then exhale. Further, sitting or standing with a straight posture, arms bent at the elbows at chest level. We spread our arms to the sides, clenching into a fist (inhale), return to the IP (exhale).

Breathing practices are allowed to be performed in any conditions - at home, in the gym, fitness center, in a pine forest, on the seashore. The room must be clean and well ventilated. In combination with hardening procedures, breathing exercises have a more pronounced healing effect.

Breathing exercises are one of the most effective ways put in order our physical and physiological condition. Breathing unites body and mind. Breathing exercises can help us relax, control feelings of anxiety, overcome insomnia… They are even useful for improving attention and helping to ward off negative thoughts. In this article, we'll look at the various breathing techniques, how and why they work, and the pros and cons of each.

What types of breathing exercises exist and how do they work?

The use of various breathing techniques and breath control techniques to calm the mind and body is nothing new. In the East and in Buddhist culture, this has been practiced for centuries. Mindfulness meditation exercises are also based on breath control techniques. The practice of deep breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the involuntary activities of the body when we are at rest. The practice of shallow or shallow breathing stimulates the sympathetic system, which is responsible for activating various organs.

The sympathetic nervous system is activated when we are under stress and causes what is commonly known as the “fight or flight” response. Our task is to learn how to “remove” such states using various breathing techniques. Of all the automatic human reactions, breathing (like blinking) is one of the few that we can consciously control. This is a kind of portal to autonomous system our body, through which we can send messages to our brain. Next, we will consider different kinds breathing techniques that can be used both in general and in certain, specific situations.

Various breathing techniques. Pros and cons

Clavicular or clavicular breathing

This type of breathing is also called upper chest. Since this type of breathing is thoracic and shallow, the chest does not allow the lungs to expand as deep breathing does.
How do you know if you are using this type of breathing correctly? Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach and breathe normally. Which of your hands rises higher? If the one above, then your breathing is clavicular, if the one below is abdominal (abdominal, diaphragmatic). Some people raise both hands. If so, then breathing is deep enough and correct.

Clavicular breathing is ineffective, since the most powerful blood circulation, which provides our body with oxygen, occurs in areas located below the lungs. Accordingly, if a person uses only clavicular breathing, insufficient oxygen is supplied to these areas. Since this is fast and shallow breathing, the blood is enriched with less oxygen, which leads to a lack of nutrients in the tissues.

• Advantages of clavicular or clavicular breathing: this type of breathing allows us to quickly get oxygen, and can be useful, for example, when we are in a hurry to a stop in order to catch a bus.
• Cons of clavicular or clavicular breathing: as we mentioned above, this type of breathing is not effective enough, and with prolonged use it can lead to stress and incorrect functioning of the brain and body as a whole.

Diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing

This type of breathing is also known as abdominal or deep breathing. With such breathing, the muscles of the diaphragm are activated, and air also enters not only the upper, but also the lower part of the lungs. As you do so, you see your stomach rise, hence the name. To many, abdominal breathing seems strange and unnatural. Perhaps because a flat stomach is in fashion now, and therefore many people, especially women, hold back the abdominal muscles, thus preventing deep breathing. Since childhood, we have been accustomed to hearing from mothers and grandmothers - “pull in your stomach”. In addition, the cause of muscle contraction abdominal cavity(the so-called nervous tic in the abdomen) can become constant tension and stress. Therefore, nowadays more and more people use clavicular or clavicular breathing, which, in turn, further increases anxiety and tension.

• Advantages of diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing: this breathing technique fully provides our body with oxygen, allowing it to fully function. In this case, the heart rate decreases, as well as blood pressure.
• Cons of diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing: this type of breathing has no disadvantages, except for one thing - this technique needs to be learned, since not everyone knows it automatically.

Thoracic or costal breathing.

Also known as chest or costal breathing. During costal breathing, the intercostal muscles are involved, with the help of which the chest expands. This type of breathing by itself is not usually used, it is part of the full or mixed breathing.

Full breath

Full breathing also has many names in various sources - thoracic, mixed, costo-abdominal, costal-diaphragmatic, lower costal. With full breathing (“inhale deeply”), the air flow enters through the nostrils, passes through the nasopharynx, trachea and bronchi and completely fills the lungs, which increase in volume. With deep breathing, the stomach, chest rises, the diaphragm zone (located between the chest and waist) is activated. In the next section, we will look at this type of breathing in more detail.

• Benefits of full breathing: This breathing technique helps the body to calm down and relax. The body receives a large number of oxygen, the heart rate, blood pressure decreases and the level of cortisol in the blood - the “stress hormone” - decreases.
• Cons of full breathing: while the abdominal or deep breathing technique can be brought to automaticity, in the case of full breathing this does not happen, this technique is not easy to apply, especially if you have never used it. The full breathing technique is the basis of the breathing exercises that we will now consider.

Breathing exercises for relaxation and anxiety relief

Before doing breathing exercises, find a comfortable place. Sit with your back straight and place your hands comfortably. The room should have a pleasant temperature and not very bright lighting. Concentrate, focus on your thoughts and breathing. Are you very irritated or aroused?

Relaxation Breathing Technique

One of the most effective techniques for reducing anxiety is full breathing. To perform this gymnastics correctly, we must know what types of breathing are. How to do the exercises correctly?

• Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Breathe so that only the hand that lies on the chest rises. Hold the air and then exhale it through your mouth. Repeat several times.
• Now, on the contrary, breathe so that only the hand lying on the stomach rises. The chest should not move. Repeat several times.
• Now try to breathe in turn so that first the hand lying on the stomach rises, and then the hand lying on the chest.
• After you have mastered the previous technique, breathe deeply using both types of breathing at the same time. At the same time, make small pauses between inhalation and exhalation. Inhalation and exhalation should last the same time.

Asymmetric breathing technique

Another useful technique for relieving anxiety and relaxation is a short inhale and a longer exhale. For example, try to breathe in such a way that the exhalation lasts 5-6 times longer than the inhalation. This is very effective exercise because the heart rate increases on inhalation and decreases on exhalation. Thus, by holding the exhalation, we amplify these effects.

Breathing with resistance or artificially regulating breathing for relaxation

The breathing technique with resistance is to create resistance on exhalation. It can be done different ways: for example, exhaling air through closed lips, teeth, through a tube, or even with the help of singing. We can exhale the sound of the mantra “Om” or simply vibrate our vocal cords. This sound resonates with the chest and head, creating a very pleasant sensation.

Dynamic breathing for relaxation

Relaxing breathing techniques which requires a little imagination. As you inhale, imagine a pleasant wave covering you from head to toe. Feel every part of your body and if there is tension somewhere, try to release it. As you exhale, imagine the wave receding.
How to understand that you are relaxed? You can say that the relaxation was successful if you feel a slight tingling or warmth on your fingertips.

Breathing exercises for sleep

Symmetrical breathing for better sleep

Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Inhale four times through your nose, using a four-beat breath (for 4 times), and make sure that when you inhale, the stomach (and not the chest) rises. Then - a four-stroke exhalation. If you can, try to use 5-6 cycles on inhalation and exhalation. Then you can take a few normal breaths and exhales and then return to 4-6 measures. The cycles can be repeated five or six times.
This technique will help you relax in any situation. but it is especially useful before bedtime. By counting your inhalations and exhalations, you thereby drive away restless and unwanted thoughts that could prevent you from falling asleep. If you don’t like counting, you can replace the numbers with words (inhale / exhale, inhale / exhale). You can also reduce the number of bars if 4 is a lot for you.

Fractional breathing for sleep

The technique is similar to the previous one, while you need to hold your breath. Use a four-beat inhale, then hold the air for 4 beats, and then a four-beat exhale. Then breathe normally 2-3 times and repeat again.

Breathing exercises to improve focus

Breathing exercises help to increase attention and concentration. In this way, we will not only study or work better, but we will also be able to better control unwanted thoughts.

Alternate breathing to improve focus

The alternate breathing technique is very effective in increasing attention. To do this, grasp the nose with the thumb and forefinger of one hand so that the fingers lie on the nostrils. Then, while inhaling, gently close one nostril. As you exhale, open the closed nostril and at the same time close the other. To make it easier for you to visualize this, imagine that your hand is wrapped around your nose in the form of the letter C and you move your thumb and forefinger alternately to the right and to the left, closing and opening the nostrils in turn.

There are various variations of this technique. You can alternate the nostrils through which you inhale and exhale, starting from right to left and vice versa. First, inhale only through the left nostril and exhale through the right, and then - inhale only through the right and exhale only through the left. This way of breathing helps to concentrate, fill up with energy and increase attention. Therefore, it is not recommended to practice it before going to bed.

Breathing exercises for children

Teaching your children to control their breathing and use breathing exercises to relax and unwind is one of the best investments in your child's development. Support and inspire the child, let him consciously and regularly practice breathing exercises, let it become a habit. Teach him different breathing techniques and explain how they work.

Breath of flowers: For this exercise, imagine that you are smelling a fragrant and fragrant flower, inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth, releasing tension. While walking, stop and smell the flowers you like.
Breath of bees: Sit comfortably or lie down and close your eyes. Breathe through your nose and close your ears. Make your vocal cords vibrate with the "mmm" sound. This sound inside our body is very soothing and kids love this exercise a lot.
Rabbit breath: take three short and quick breaths and then exhale slowly. Let the child repeat this after you - tell him that you are rabbits who, with the help of scent, must find their own food. This technique is very useful for children.

Make breathing exercises a habit

To master breathing exercises and make sure that it really helps, you need to do it regularly. How to set up a workout routine?

• Find yourself a cozy and peaceful place where you can sit or lie comfortably.
• Don't get frustrated if you can't get the exercise right right away. Gradually learn, no one is perfect all at once.
• Try to practice every day for no more than 5-10 minutes at first. You can increase this time if you wish. You don't have to set ambitious goals right away.
• Exercise at the same time, such as before bed or right after waking up. So you can quickly turn breathing exercises into a habit.

Some people do not like breathing exercises because they are uncomfortable with controlling their breathing. If you think that breathing exercises are also not for you, try another very effective technique - through exercise. You can also practice yoga and progressive relaxation.

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