Why Are Breathing Exercises so Important?
Breathing exercises have started through the teachings of Ancient Chinese Medicine. People back then already realized how important proper breathing techniques were to their health. Too often we catch ourselves practice shallow breathing, especially when we are under stress. Supplying our body with the sufficient amount of oxygen will revitalize it, filling it with energy, strengthening organs, muscles, improving the digestive system and circulation.
If you are looking for ways to improve your health, include these breathing exercises into your work-out routine.
If you are suffering from stress, these breathing exercises will be a nice companion.
Upholding heaven with the two hands
Stand with your feet comfortably apart and your arms at your sides. Keep your eyes open during the exercise. Inhale, raising your arms out to the sides and up above your head. With your palms facing down, interlock your fingers. Rotate your hands so that your palms face the sky. Look up at the back of your hands. Inhale more, stretching upward as if you are upholding heaven. Exhale and let your arms float down to your sides. Repeat five or six times.
BENEFIT: This longevity breathing exercise strengthens the body as a whole. It harmonizes the three major segments of the trunk. The upper segment controls the respiratory system, the middle houses the digestive system, and the lower segment governs the excretory and sexual functions. This exercise unifies the relationships between the internal organs, improves circulation, and releases shoulder tension.
Opening the bow
Stand with your feet comfortably apart. Cross your arms in front of you at the level of your heart and clench your fists firmly.
Imagine you are holding a large bow. Turn your head to the left, the direction you are going to visualize shooting the arrow. Use your imagination to aim very far, as if shooting the arrow toward an eagle. Inhale deeply as you open the bow and bring your left arm straight to the left as if pulling the bow forward.
Simultaneously, bend your right arm and pull your fist toward your right as if pulling the bow string back. Exhale as you gently release the bow, crossing your arms in front of your chest once again. Repeat this exercise on the right side. Three times on each side, breathing with the movement.
BENEFIT: The capacity and resilience of the lungs are increased. It also strengthens the shoulder and arm muscles.
Raising the arms, one at a time
Stand with your feet comfortable apart and your arms crossed in front of your solar plexus. Inhale and raise your left hand straight above your head with the palm facing the sky, fingers turned inward. The right hand is simultaneously lowered to the thigh with your right palm facing the ground, fingers turned inward. Bring your head back during exhalation. Exhale and return your arms and head to starting position. Switch sides. Practice about six times.
BENEFIT: This is one of the breathing exercises that harmonizes the spleen and stomach. The small and large intestine meridians are regulated. This breathing exercise stimulates a balancing digestive system.
Looking Behind
Stand with your arms crossed in front of your upper chest. Keep the chin tucked into the hollow of the throat, stretching the back of the neck.
Inhale deeply, open your arms to a 45 degree angle from the sides of your body, and turn your head toward the left looking as far behind you as possible. Pull your arms back, arching the chest up and out. You will feel the stretch in your arms, wrists, neck and also in your eyes as you look behind.
Exhale, returning your head and arms forward.
Repeat the same movement turning to the right side. Alternate sides, 6 times all together.
BENEFIT: This is one of the breathing exercises that rejuvenates the five yin organs: Heart, Spleen, Lungs, Kidneys and Liver. The movement also expands the capacity of the lungs. If practiced twice daily, this simple breathing exercise can help prevent stiff necks.
Swaying the Head
Wagging the Tail
Stand with the legs spread apart. Bend your knees into a “horse-riding” position with your feet flat on the ground, your knees directly above your toes, and your weight balanced.
Place your hands on the side of your hip, with your fingers towards the front, thumb in the back.
Inhale and arch your spine, bringing your head back and your chest up and out.
Exhale, bending forward so that you are looking between your legs.
Inhale, returning to the starting position, with your spine straight. Exhale and bend your whole torso to the left side keeping your spine, neck, and head in a straight line.
Inhale up to the starting position again. Exhale and bend to the right side, tilting your shoulders, head, neck to the right.
Repeat these steps for each side twice.
Rotate the hips and trunk of the body several times in one direction and then in the other direction. Rotate the head slowly in one direction and then the other.
BENEFIT: This exercise strengthens and balances the digestive organs, the lower back, and helps to reduce fat around the hips and waist. The Ancient Chinese also practiced this exercise to improve the circulation and condition of the heart. This exercise eliminates the excess fire (tension) that tends to accumulate in the heart. Too much fire in the heart can lead to headaches, hypertension, excessive anger and frustration. According to Ancient Chinese Medicine, most high blood pressure patients can help themselves tremendously by avoiding red meat and salt, and by practicing this exercise three times daily.
Clenching the Fists with Attentive Eyes
Stand with the feet apart and the knees bent slightly.
make fists with your palms facing up by your waist.
Inhale, open your eyes wide, firmly clench your molars together, and smile.
Slowly, exhale as you firmly punch your fist diagonally in front, turning the fist over so it faces downward when fully extended.
Inhale as you slowly clench the arm inward back to the waist.
Repeat this exercise on the other side, alternating four times.
BENEFIT: This exercise releases tension in the arms and the chest. It strengthens the vital organs and especially benefits the liver.
Stretching Backward
Place your palms over your lower back with your fingers positioned downward.
Inhale, arching your back with your eyes also looking backward. Bend your knees in this position to increase the bend.
Gently bend backward seven times as you exhale.
Inhale up to an erect standing position.
Exhale as you gently drop your head and upper portion of your body forward. Grasp hold of all of your toes. Allow your neck to relax in this position.
Slowly return to a standing position as you inhale. Repeat this exercise seven times.
BENEFIT: This exercise further rejuvenates all of the internal organs, especially the kidneys.
Swing Hands
This is one of the very ancient breathing exercises with many wonderful benefits. Stand erect with your feet parallel and shoulder-width apart.
Grasp the earth with your toes by firmly curling them. If you wear shoes, your toes will grip the soles of the shoes.
Tighten your bottock muscles and contract your anus. This raises the rectum which strengthens the reproductive and eliminatory systems.
Relax your upper body including your chest, back, shoulders, arms, neck, head, fac and jaw.
Let your eyes look straight ahead or close them if you prefer.
Swing your hands back and forth. As your arms come forward, they are parallel to the ground with the palms facing down. Vigorously swing them back to the limit of the arms range of motion. This force leads directly to the easy forward swing as action leads to reaction.
Count how many times you swing your hands. Start slowly with one hundred swings and gradually build up. The feeling to cultivate is that of the upper body light and relaxed and the lower portion of the body fully grounded and substantial. Let the back be straight and easy and the head straight, as if being pulled up by a string. This will elongate the neck. The shoulders, arms, hands, wrists and elbows should be loose, moving easily. The chest should feel relaxed and open, allowing the breath to deepen naturally with the movement. The head, face and jaw should be calm and relaxed.
BENEFIT:Swing Hands is one of the ancient breathing exercises that has been handed down from generation to generation. It enables the body to accumulate vital energy through the breath. It improves circulation shich energizes, awakens, and balances the body’s contributing to a person’s experience of health and well-being.
The Chinese have documented numerous cases demonstrating that Swing Hands can aid conditions such as insomnia, poor appetite, high blood pressure and heart trouble, eye problems, hemorrhoids, neurasthenia and problems related to the liver, stomach, kidneys, and other internal organs.
All these breathing exercises are very simple to follow and are a wonderful addition to any self-help program in maintaining and improving your health.
www.secretsofeden.com Pastor Strawcutter of Secrets of Eden explains a simple way to increase your oxygen, health and vibrancy at the same time.
The Concept Behind Buteyko Breathing Techniques
The Buteyko Breathing Technique is used to naturally deal with asthma attacks and other breathing ailments. It can also be used to calm a panic-stricken person down. Buteyko Breathing Technique is highly recognized by most physicians because of its effect in the process of asthma control and attack reduction.
Still, like most alternative treatment methods, scientific thoeris should be fully understood before starting the treatment. This article will present you the concept behind Buteyko Breathing Technique.
To grasp the hypothesis behind Buteyko breathing techniques in full, we should first get the general idea behind three scientific things: Hyperventilation, Vertigo Effect and Carbon Dioxide (CO2).
Hyperventilation is when someone breathes in and out more often than what is required. (Not necessarily normal — more on that later.) It makes someone breathe in more oxygen and release more Carbon Dioxide.
Vertigo is the feeling of dizziness when someone breathes too much. It is because cells are craving oxygen. A paradox, I know. CO2 actually helps Oxygen to go where it needs to – the cells. Without it, an oxygen atom stays glued onto the hemoglobin, and thus, misses the cells that require.
Carbon Dioxide is scarcely in the air (it is mainly nitrogen) and the body creates this air as a waste material from energy creation.
With these united, we can say that the more a person hyperventilates, the less he gets the oxygen his body needs, although he has a lot of that in his body
Most persons breathe in and out faster than what is required, and that is innate to them. That is still hyperventilation.
With those support theories clear, let’s say an asthmatic hyperventilates by default. Since he hyperventilates innately, he will eventually exhale enough CO2 for his body to scramble for Oxygen. Naturally, his body does not want to die, so what does it do?
It thickens the air ducts. The lungs create more mucus. Coughs begin to start, and because his airways in his lungs are full of mucus and are constricted, whistling sounds are audible. Sounds familiar? Yes, an asthma attack.
Give the body the thing that it wanted in the first place: more oxygen by adding more Carbon Dioxide in the body, and the bodily symptoms will start disappearing and will be triggered back less often in the time to come. That is the concept of Buteyko breathing techniques.
To further read more useful information about this wonderful set of breathing exercises, please check Buteyko Breathing Techniques in Squidoo.
Get That Flat Stomach Look? Get Rid Of Big Tummy, Pot Belly And Beer Belly Fast.
Article by Chris Chew
How to get that flat stomach look and get rid of big tummy, pot belly and beer belly fast?
By exercising your Transversus Abdominus Muscle. This is the muscle in your abdomen that holds your stomach in giving you the flat belly look. This muscle acts like a corset around your tummy by holding your tummy in and if the muscle is weak, your belly will be distended more easily making your tummy looking much bigger than it should just like having a beer belly. This is one of the reasons why people have pot belly or beer belly besides simply blaming it on tummy fat. This is the muscle that can help you get that flat stomach look. If you want to get that flat stomach look, you must strengthen this muscle.
Just to have a feel of how this muscle work, try blowing out all the air in your lungs and pull your tummy in. There, you have just used your transversus abdominus muscle to execute that movement.
Start the exercise by exhaling all the air from your lungs hard. At the same time, pull in your tummy as tight as you can and at the same time visualizing your belly button is about to touch your spine. Do breathe lightly in that position and hold the posture for about 45 seconds. Then repeat the exercise for a few more sets. You will then be teaching your abs muscle to continuously hold your tummy in giving you flat stomach look.
The beauty of this exercise is that you carry it out everywhere and anywhere without ever going to the gym. It is so discreet that people will not even notice you exercising even when you are waiting for the office lift or at your desk at work.
A more effective version of this exercise would require you to be on all fours in a crawling position. Then execute the exercise as described above except that this time, you are on your hands and feet. Do both exercises every other day and when combined with a fat loss routine of a proper diet, weight training and cardio exercises, you will get that flat stomach look in no time along with that glorious six pack abs.
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Stop Smoking Facts and Benefits
Article by Wendell and Charmayne Vannnatter
One of the most obvious stop smoking facts is, it doesn’t happen overnight. Quitting the use of tobacco is truly a process that takes time. To effectively kick this nasty habit it takes time and willpower and a proven and effective product, so you should try to relax and put a little time between you and the last cigarette you have smoked. By quitting smoking you will gain a great many health benefits. As a matter of fact within just minutes from stopping there are many benefits that you will gain instantly. Here are some stop smoking facts to consider. Within 20 minutes of stopping, your blood pressure and pulse goes back to normal. Here is a stop smoking fact that should interest you. Within 8 hours of stopping nicotine intake, carbon monoxide levels in your blood are reduce by half. Also, oxygen levels go back to normal. In a day, carbon monoxide will be totally eliminated or removed from the body, and the lungs start to clear out mucous and other kind of smoking debris. Here is another stop smoking fact. In 2 days, nicotine will be totally eliminated in the body. The ability to taste and smell is greatly improved as it used to be. In 3 days, your breathing becomes easier, because the bronchial tubes begin to relax and energy levels increase. In 2 to 12 weeks the circulation will be improved. After 3 to 9 months coughs, wheezing and breathing problems are improved as lung functions are increased up to 10%. In 5 years of not smoking the risk of heart attack falls to about half that of a regular smoker. In about 10 years, the risk of lung cancer will fall to about half that of a steady smoker, and the risk of heart attack falls to that of a non-smoker. Here are some stop smoking facts on a self help level. It gives you confidence. Quitting the smoking habit is a very hard challenge. Once you have quit, you will know that you can also succeed at other difficult tasks, and you will know that you can take control of your life. Quitting the smoking habit helps you to believe more in yourself. You will become more fit because smoking makes it harder for us to exercise and it reduces the health benefits to our body. Chain smokers or those light smokers have more chance of having coughs and colds than non-smokers and take longer to get well again. Another stop smoking fact is, you need a proven and effective product to help you quit.For more information on stop smoking facts and benefits visit: http://www.wakeupsmokefree.com
Clean Out Your Lungs – Lung Detoxification
Article by Chris Fenton
Of course you may have heard of detoxification. The cleansing of the different organs of the body like the liver, the heart and the colon. But have you heard of a method on how you can clean out your lungs? You may ask yourself, is it possible? Read on through to know how you will be able to do so.Click Here For Lung Detoxification Instant Access Now!The fact is that the methods on how to clean your lungs are very simple. You may not even believe how easy it is to do. One of the various ways to clean your lungs is by simply breathing in some fresh air. This way you can refresh your lungs by letting in clean air and also make it healthier. Doing exercise is also a great way to make you breathe better and clean out your lungs. Exercise makes your lungs get stronger. You need not have to do any demanding exercises. Just start slow and do some of the simpler ones. Do some long walk first then go on to a long jog. Smoking is always the enemy of the lungs. So if you are still smoking, quitting is the best thing to do. It will destroy your lungs faster than anything can. It also not only affects your lungs but also your entire body. By stopping smoking you will be doing your lungs a great deal of favor.All of us want to breathe better. When our breathing is obstructed, we often feel sloppy, weak and depressed. We even do not have enough energy to do the usual things we do. But if our lungs are clean, healthy and strong, we can do almost everything.These are just a few but effective ways to clean out your lungs. There are still other methods that you can learn but these are the simplest. So what are you waiting for? It is time to clean up and breathe fresh air!Click Here For Lung Detoxification Instant Access Now!
As a follow-up to the beating heart, researchers have used a similar technique to create breathing lungs in the lab. Source: Univ. of Minnesota
Breath Control for Singers and Other Musicians
Article by Audrey Hunt
Breath Control for Singers and other Musicians
The human voice is the most powerful mode of expression. The singer must learn absolute control over the breath support system and resonating areas in order to sing.Breathing is the foundation for all good singing. As singers, we must develop an awareness of the mechanics of breathing. To develop the art of proper breath control is to enhance the tone, hold a note for a longer duration, extend the range, and project the tone with ease thereby giving us freedom to sing expressively.
The greatest human need is air. Cut off the oxygen supply for more than a few minutes, and we die. Good breathing is the basis for all good singing. It is the energy for articulation, resonance and phonation. The breath actually supports singing. It is the “cushion” for sound. If the tone is weak, too little air is being released. All breathing is diaphragmatic. There can be no movement of air into the lungs without activity of the diaphragm.
The dome-shaped diaphragm muscle is attached by its edges to the lowest ribs, the costal arch, the base of the breast-bone and (at the back) to the front of the lumbar spine. To activate this muscle, we must inflate the abdominal wall.
When we speak, we use only a small portion of the lung capcity. We do not take enough air into the lungs to sustain sound. This results in a weak tone, small vocal range and even singing off key.Vocal abuse can be a result of insufficient air. Vocal nodules (small blisters on each vocal band) can occur if we continue to sing without enough air for the tone to ride on.
There are three aspects of breathing that the singer must acquire:
The ability to inhale large amounts of air
The ability to take a good breath quickly
The ability to control the air as it escapes
The singer must learn to intake maximum air and maximum expulsion must be developed. An easy exercise for learning proper breathing is to lie down on your back, place a heavy book on your abdomen centered at the waistline and lift it up ads you inhale, hold for about 3 seconds then lower the book as you exhale slowly. Your breathing should fall easily into the right place. The expansion of the lungs and rib-cage is not only at the front of the body. The sides of the ribcage and even the back expand as well.
Another exercise is to sit on a firm, straight-backed chair, hang your arms and move the elbows away from the sides of the chest.. Take a long slow breath and do not move the shoulders. Expand so that your back swells and presses against the chair. You will feel the sensation of waist and back expansion while inhaling.
We must also learn how to expel the air to completely empty the lungs. (This gets rid of stale air and then new, clean air oxygenates the entire lung tissue.) As we sing one phrase after another, we want to empty the lungs of air to allow the body to set up proper conditions for inhalation. Your new way of breathing must be practiced until the act of inflating around the waistline and ribcage become automatic.
Diaphragmatic breathing takes consistent practice. It will eventually become automatic. It is the only way to rid our bodies of the carbon monoxide we breathe in daily and replace the unhealthy air with pure oxygen. Actually, everyone would do well to learn and practice diaphragmatic (abdominal) breathing. Correct breathing can be practiced while sitting, bathing or lying down.
The vocal cords are half an inch in women and three quarters of an inch in men. They may be up to one inch in length as in Caruso’s.When we have control of our voice we can just about sing whatever we want with ease and without straining the voice.
Breathing is 80% of singing. A note is vibrating air. Once we master breath control we are able to perform any song with ease.
How breathing works, the muscles involved in breathing (diaphragm, intercostals, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, pectorals), corsets and singing, rumours of pneumonia and pulmonary tuberculosis and corseting, as well as the more recent issue of corseting and smoking. Music: Modern Jazz Samba by Kevin MacLeod (www.incompetech.com)
RidgeCrest Clearlungs (Red), Herbal Breathing Support, Original Formula , 120 Vegetarian Capsules Reviews
RidgeCrest Clearlungs (Red), Herbal Breathing Support, Original Formula , 120 Vegetarian Capsules
- ClearLungs is a unique blend of chinese herbs that helps maintain free breathing.
- Ridgecrest herbals makes many natural formulas for specific health needs.
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Leave a commentLung Detoxification – Lungs After You Quit Smoking
Smoking does harmful effects on the body when observed. Hazards like lung cancer, respiratory diseases as well as other internal harm that smoking gives, is one way to have it stopped once and for all! Getting over the harmful effects and focusing on the lungs after you quit smoking is something to look forward to and all those healthy benefits to ensure a longer life to enjoy and to live.
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Looking forward to clean air passages which your body can produce more oxygen that the brain as well as other organs need to function well. Oxygen does help to detoxify the lungs so, getting the more oxygen to get those tar out will assure you to have those lungs clean. Also getting the advantage to breathe well unlike you once before smoking which is smoothly done and easier.
The risk of getting lung cancer is lower or perhaps diminished compared when you’re actively smoking.
Eventually also the mind reacts to the benefits of getting the lungs cleaned. In that case you can focus more on to other important matter that needs attention whatever it is whether it maybe a career, a relationship, or perhaps a goal you need to get done with. Having yourself on less worrying is an advantage.
With your respiratory system clean and healthy you sure is to do your other tasks effectively and even better than when you’re smoking. Tasks with a lot of pressure can seem to slow you down when you smoke. Non-smokers tend to have more energy to have a good momentum doing their tasks effectively than smokers. So getting the benefit of having those lungs clean is surely a big advantage.
With all these thoughts on lungs after you quit smoking, have you ever thought of quitting your habit of smoking? Don’t let yourself be at the least part when you realize that your habit may lead to the list of those people who enjoy smoking and later suffer. Now get your way to detoxify your lung to lead you to the good life and health you always wanted!
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Smoking And Weight Loss
Article by Anthony and Maricar Wing
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