Breathing exercises

4 Breathing exercises to relax, calm down and help you fall asleep: reduce stress and lower your heart rate

Counting breaths to fall asleep

By purposefully counting each of your breaths in a position that is comfortable for you, your heartbeat will normalize. Usually, you count to 10 and then start again until you achieve rhythmic, even breathing. This way you will fall asleep all by yourself.

Natural abdominal breathing for relaxation

Close your eyes, inhale deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth. With your hand, feel your abdominal wall slowly rise and fall. Your breathing flows deep into your belly through your upright posture. Concentrate only on yourself for these 10-20 minutes.

4-6-8 method against stress

The most important thing here is the number of seconds you need for each process. First, inhale through your nose and count to 4, then pause for 6 seconds and exhale through your mouth for about 8 seconds. After about 4-5 passes, each time placing your hand on your belly, you will quickly notice that your stress is reduced. Singing bowls also help you to come into an inner balance. We tried a few for you in our singing bowls test.

Shock exhalation to calm anxiety

You can do this breathing exercise as many times as you want until you yourself feel relieved. Because it’s all up to you here. Breathe in through your nose for 5 seconds and then exhale through your mouth 5 times in a row. Make sure your posture is upright and focus entirely on your breathing. In the video you can take a closer look at the tips. Have fun!

What breathing exercises reduce stress when you’re anxious?

When you’re anxious or tense, your breathing usually flattens out. Not enough oxygen reaches your body and muscle tension begins to increase. A physical restlessness spreads and you feel tense. To tame nervousness, we recommend the “Shock exhale” breathing exercise mentioned above. Just scroll up quickly! In addition, meditation can also help you calm down. If you’re looking for tips on a meditation space, check it out here.

Can I increase lung volume through breathing exercises?

Lung volume refers to the storage capacity of the lungs. That is, their ability to hold a certain amount of air. Optimizing lung capacity has many benefits. On the one hand, it increases physical performance and on the other hand, it stimulates regeneration and restoration of energy. You also prevent various respiratory diseases. With the help of some simple breathing exercises to improve oxygen distribution, you can increase your lung volume naturally. Natural abdominal breathing is one of these exercises that is very suitable for this purpose. You can also hold your breath and gradually increase the duration. Just blowing up a simple balloon repeatedly will help you increase your lung volume and ventilation pressure.

Are there breathing exercises for seniors?

Seniors are not free from everyday worries either. Often, they experience continuous stress that is extremely detrimental to their health. Therefore, the appropriate breathing exercises provide the ideal balance. Sitting breathing exercises, such as “natural abdominal breathing”, are particularly popular here. Just sit on a meditation cushion(here are some inspirations) and you can start. Depending on the breathing exercise, special attention is given to the needs of older people. What is important is not the duration, but the effect that is felt after a short time. Even with regularity, positive changes in the body and soul can be felt quickly.

Are there breathing exercises to make childbirth easier?

By doing the right breathing exercises, you can reduce the pain and anxiety even in the hardest yet most beautiful moments of life. So you can relax a little in between. We will show you one breathing exercise, deep breathing, which will give you relief during the early stages of birth. It will help you when the contractions become more regular. To do this, first take a deep breath when the contraction starts and release all tension when you exhale. While focusing on your steady breathing, slowly inhale through your nose and then slowly exhale through your mouth. As you inhale, count to 5 and as you exhale, count to 8. This is how you maintain concentration. After a short pause of about 3 seconds, repeat the exercise. You will quickly notice how beneficial it is for you and your child.

What breathing exercises for high blood pressure lower your heart rate?

You can also influence your blood pressure by means of certain breathing techniques. And often this happens quite naturally in everyday life, but unfortunately in the wrong direction. Because by inhaling too fast and hectic, the blood pressure usually rises. You can counteract this by practicing decelerated breathing. For example, the above-mentioned breathing exercise “4-6-8 method” is particularly suitable for this, as it reduces stress and lowers your pulse. This also lowers your blood pressure and your pulse. Just try it out!

What breathing exercises give you relief from asthma?

Controlled breathing

During an acute asthma attack, steady and controlled breathing can give you relief. Most of the time, you can’t breathe out properly during an asthma attack because your airways are too constricted. However, conscious breathing supplies the brain and the body’s cells with sufficient oxygen. In addition, the body can be guided into a state of relaxation.

Upright posture

Straight posture is also very important during an asthma attack. This is the only way your breathing can flow deep into your abdomen. Otherwise, the middle and lower part of the abdomen is pinched, preventing natural and deep breathing.