8 exercises to practice conscious breathing

The breathing It is an automatic process that we begin at birth and that is not interrupted until the last breath of life. Nourishes the body’s cells with oxygen, but if we do it properly, the body is «recharged» at all levels.

Unlike the heartbeat, we can «play» with breathing (retaining it, lengthening it…) and these games become a powerful tool available to everyone to influence our brain and achieve greater well-being and consciousness.

«Be aware of the act of breathe is of great physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefit,» explains Michael Sky, author of Breathing. Expand your power and energy (Ed. Edaf).

We breathe 23,000 times a day, let’s take advantage of it by making our breathing more conscious!

The conscious breathing It is not only a trend that runs through yoga rooms. Some specialists such as Belisa Vranich, clinical psychologist and author of Breathe (Ed. Hay House UK), teaches breathing techniques to firefighters and people with risk professions so that they can control stress.

Wim Hof has patented a method in which breathing (along with cold showers) helps resist infections and fight inflammation. It has been confirmed by researchers from the Radboud University Nijmegen (Holland).

Conscious breathing is used to relieve pain, insomnia, digestive problems, high blood pressure and, above all, low energy. Also to improve concentration, creativity and cognitive performance.

You can check its power by practicing only with these 8 conscious breathing exercises:

1. Breathing to center your mind and eliminate tension

This exercise proposed by Michael Sky is perfect to start a round of breaths: makes the attention focus only on breathing.

Breathe with all the softness as much as possible, calmly.
Take long, shallow breaths through your nose in and out while imagining that your lungs, just below, are a tray full of ashes. You can only breathe carefully and gently so as not to raise the slightest draft or produce the slightest sound vibration that could spread the ashes.
Let the body relax: imagine that the slightest tension could disperse the ashes.
Allow the mind to calm and the thoughts are silenced: imagine that the slightest mental agitation could spread the ashes.
Continue taking long, slow breaths that do not cause agitation.that generate peace, while your eyes gently close.

2. Breathing to stimulate memory

Use this exercise when you have forgotten something (a name, a piece of information…). It will come to your mind like magic!

Fill yourself with air and hold it.
Let your belly relax and inflate.
The shoulders lose tension and become slack.
Hold your breath as long as you can.
Then release it slowly and repeat three times.
If at any point you find it distressing, let go and start again.

3. Breathing to totally relax

Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
At the end of the exhalation, pause and wait patiently until the body initiates the next inhalation.
Each breath through the nose is slow and calm.
Upon reaching the maximum inhalation pointslowly release the air through your open mouth.
Then, without closing your mouth and with your jaw relaxedpause and consciously wait until the body needs to breathe again.
After two or three breathsallows the time between one breath and the next to be a moment of total relaxation for your body.
Then, breathe for a specific area of your body who especially needs to relax.
Breathe in this rhythm several times.

The key to marking the pause between two breaths is stay aware and focused, because if the mind is distracted it easily returns to its contracted pattern.

4. Breathing to control stress and sleep well

Dr. Andrew Weil advises Repeat this exercise twice a day.

Place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouthbehind the upper incisor teeth.
Inhale through your nose for 4 secondshold your breath for 7 seconds.
Exhale through your mouth pursing your lips and making noise (like blowing) for 8 seconds.
Take four breaths.

5. Exercise to oxygenate each cell

This exercise is a proposal for Wim Hoff for cleanse the body of carbon dioxide accumulated and oxygenate, above all, the nervous system. The only drawback when the body is not used to so much oxygen is the possible hyperventilation. If this happens, simply return to breathing at a normal pace.

Do this exercise when you wake up or on an empty stomach.

Sit comfortably with a straight back.
Inhale through your nose and exhale through the mouth in short burstsbut powerful, as if you were blowing up a balloon.
Repeat 30 times with your eyes closed. Be careful because you may feel slight dizziness.
After, inhale and fill your lungs without straining.
Let the air out and hold it for as long as you can without feeling uncomfortable.
Then, take in as much air as possible again and, feeling the expansion of your chest, hold your breath for about 10 seconds.
With this you have concluded an entire cycle. You can repeat the entire cycle three timesstarting with the 30-minute session in which you inflate the balloon and ending with the inhalation with a hold of 10 seconds.
Finally, breathe calmly and silently.

6. Breath of the lion to do with children

Practice it if you tend to strain your voice or when you have a sore throat.

As you inhale, tilt your head back slightly.
When you breathe out, you bring it forward, You open your mouth as much as possible and stick your tongue out.. Exhale making noise.

The yogic version of this breath:

It is done sitting on the calves or in a chair and placing your hands on each knee with your fingers spread.

You inhale and, as you exhale, The mouth is opened to the maximum, the tongue is stuck out, the eyes are wide open looking towards the sky and the fingers are stretched towards the ground.

7. Breathing to balance the mind

Clear your mind before an exam.

Cover one of the nostrils with your thumb and breathe slowly for the other counting to 8.
Hold your breath for 4 secondsclose the other nostril and exhale up to 8.
Pause for 4 seconds.
Practice for a few minutes.
Change nostril after each exhalation.

8. Breathing to reconnect with the past

This practice is known as «circular breathing» and it is very powerful (can cause hyperventilation). After a few minutes you may remember images from your childhood that you had forgotten. It is used in the techniques of rebirthing with supervision.

Breathe in a fluid stream without pauses or interruptions for a few minutes.

You inhale and, without stopping or holding the airexpiration begins.
The end of the exhalation links directly to another inhalation.
Both connect without obstacles and create a dynamic circle.