8 breathing exercises to relax in a moment

A few simple breathing tricks to relieve the stress and anxiety of everyday life.

The prevailing lifestyle in societies like ours, which reinforce competition and constant self-improvement, produces a high amount of stress on our bodies.The prevailing lifestyle in societies like ours, which reinforce competition and constant self-improvement, produces a high amount of stress on our organism, which alters our well-being and can generate anxiety problems and even disorders. One of the ways to control our mental activation and stress is through breathing.

Breathing is one of the basic functions of the organism that allows us to obtain the oxygen necessary for survival. This function can be hindered in the presence of stress or contextual elements that cause the development of accelerated patterns that hinder the correct entry of oxygen into the body.

However, training this function can contribute greatly to reduce the level of stress caused by environmental and social circumstances through relaxation, reducing insomnia, hypertension, headaches, asthma, sexual dysfunctions or phobias. through relaxation, reducing problems of insomnia, hypertension, headache, asthma, sexual dysfunctions or phobias, as well as helping to better control the perceptual process, pain management or other sensations produced by the stress.It also helps to better control the perceptual process, pain management or other sensations produced by organic or mental causes.

Some effective breathing techniques

The following are a series of simple breathing exercises that can be carried out to relax body and mind.

1. Deep breathing

The simplest exercise to perform of those presented here. Basically serves to calm down after a situation of stress or effort.. It is based on taking air through the nose, keeping it in the lungs and finally releasing it gently through the mouth. Each of the steps should last about four seconds.

2. Diaphragmatic/abdominal breathing

This exercise is also very simple. It is similar to the previous one, but but in this case the breathing will be abdominal.. To carry it out, you need a place where you can be comfortable, preferably sitting or lying down. First, inhale through the nose for about four seconds, keeping the air inside you for a few seconds and expel it through the mouth gently. Long breaths are required, entering the body a high volume of air.

By placing one hand on the stomach and the other on the chest it is possible to check if the air is being taken correctly to the intended areas. The hand on the chest should not move when inhaling, while you should feel the air filling the belly.

This training provokes parasympathetic control and a lowering of the heart rate.. It is recommended to try to generalize and automate this type of breathing in order to maintain a certain control over the arousal or activation level of the body.

3. Complete breathing

This type of breathing combines deep and abdominal breathing in a single technique.. The process begins with the expulsion of all the air from the lungs. We proceed by breathing in softly and deeply until filling first the abdomen, to continue inhaling until filling also the lungs and chest in the same inhalation. The air is held for a few seconds and then proceed to expel orally and slowly, first the chest and then the abdomen.

4. Alternate breathing through the nostrils or Nadi Shodhana

This technique generally applied in the world of yoga is based on the alternation between the nostrils when breathing in. First of all, one of the nostrils is plugged, in order to perform a deep inhalation through the free nostril. Once inhaled, proceed to plug the nostril through which the air has entered and uncover the other, through which the exhalation is going to take place.

The same procedure is then repeated, this time starting with the nostril opposite to the previous one (i.e. the one through which the exhalation was made). This technique seems to be effective in clearing the mind, activating the practitioner..

5. Breath of fire or Kapalabhati

Another technique from yoga. The breathing exercise begins with a slow and deep inspiration, followed by a fast and forced exhalation from the abdomen. We proceed to increase the rhythm of inhalation-exhalation every two seconds up to a total of ten breaths. It is a very energizing breathing, but some caution is recommended because it can cause hyperventilation and abdominal pain. For this reason it is not recommended for people with high anxiety.

6. Breathing for anger management

This type of exercise is especially indicated in situations that provoke anger, in order to control it.in order to control it. Taking into account that inhaling provokes the arrival of oxygen to the organism, and therefore of energy, it may be advisable that in situations in which we want to control our anger we focus on exhalation, a process that is generally relaxing and pressure relieving.

For this exercise we will simply exhale forcefully, emptying our lungs as much as possible in a long and powerful exhalation. After that we will inhale when our body needs it, to repeat the procedure until the pressure sensation has diminished.

7. Guided visualization

Used as a relaxation mechanism, this technique allows especially for mental calming****l. It is based on regular deep breathing while a therapist or recording indicates the type of thoughts or images that the individual should imagine. Generally it is a question of placing the person in a pleasant mental scenario, which allows him to see his objectives and to visualize himself realizing them. This technique is also used in mindfulness.

8. Jacobson's progressive muscular relaxation

This is a relaxation technique that includes breathing control and muscle tension.. With closed eyes and a comfortable posture, we proceed to maintain a deep and regular breathing. Subsequently, we proceed to perform a tour of all the muscle groups of the body.

Each muscle group will be tensed in periods of three to ten seconds and then rested for ten to thirty seconds (it is recommended that the relaxation period be three times that of tension), making series of three repetitions.

The process of muscular relaxation will begin with the most distal extremities of the body, that is to say, the extremities and points farthest from the center of the body, until reaching the head. Thus, the tension-relaxation routine will begin with the feet and continue with the legs, buttocks, hands, arms, back, chest, neck, jaw and head.

It has to be performed with some caution since it is common the presence of small cramps, dizziness, tingling or hyperventilation (in case of having them, it is recommended to stop the exercise), but it is a very useful technique even in clinical practice.

Bibliographic references:

• Amutio, A. (2002) Stress management strategies: the role of relaxation. C. Med. Psychosom, Nº 62 / 63
• González, A. and I Amigo, I. (2000), Immediate effects of progressive muscle relaxation training on Cardiovascular indices. Psicothema, 12.
• Shapiro, S.; Schwartz, G. and Bonner, G.. (1999). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on medical and premedical students. Journal of Behavioral Med; 21: 581-599.