Breathing. You do it without thinking, but when you sit down to think about it, that easy, automatic activity is incredible. Inhales, you’re bringing in fresh oxygen, and with each exhale, you’re ridding your body of carbon dioxide, allowing every cell to function and thrive. But the positive effects of breathing go beyond biology.
Breathing exercises heal us in many ways. They have immense physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual benefits. Guided breathing exercises help us tremendously in reducing stress and relaxation. They also improve the efficiency of our lungs.
The best thing about breathing exercises is that they are easy to learn and can be practiced anywhere. They do not require any special pieces of equipment.
Benefits of Guided Breathing Exercises Are:
Reduce Stress and Anxiety:
Breathing Exercises increase our oxygen intake and calm our minds. They are shown to be highly effective in reducing stress and anxiety.
Improve Quality of Sleep:
Guided breathing exercises relax our bodies and calm down our minds. They help us to get rid of stress and anxiety. Breathing exercises thus assist us in getting a good night’s sleep.
Enhance Cognitive Functions:
Performing breathing exercises regularly is associated with improved concentration and focus. They also enhance our memory and improve our decision-making abilities.
Improve Cardiovascular Health:
Performing Breathing exercises regularly helps to maintain our blood pressure levels and assists patients with hypertension. This reduces the incidence of stroke and heart disease.
Thus, breathing exercises are highly beneficial for the health of our cardiovascular system.
Good for our Lungs:
Breathing exercises improve the functioning of our lungs. They have proved to be immensely beneficial for patients with chronic lung diseases like Asthma, Emphysema, Bronchitis, COPD, etc.
Detox our body:
Performing breathing exercises helps our body eliminate toxic gases and carbon dioxide, thus detoxifying our body.
Good for our Digestive System:
Performing breathing exercises regularly ensures smooth functioning of our digestive system and helps eliminate gastrointestinal issues like flatulence, constipation, bloating, indigestion, etc.
They also provide relief from symptoms of GERD ( Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease ).
Give a Glow to our Skin:
Breathing exercises like pranayama increase the supply of oxygen, which increases the blood thrush and improves the appearance of the skin. It also detoxifies blood which results in younger and glowing skin.
Anti-aging:
Breathing exercises help in slowing down the aging process.
They help to maintain body weight, prevent wrinkles and keep skin glowing, reduce stress, strengthen abdominal muscles, correct bad posture, etc.
May Benefit Joint Pain
When you include breathing exercises in your routine, it elevates the level of oxygen in the cells and has a positive effect on the joints.
It makes the muscles and joints strong and prevents the chances of wear and tear. Breath exercises minimize the strain of physical activity and improve the ability of the body to handle intense physical workouts.
The health benefits of breathing exercises are many, and the side effects are almost none. They are easy to do and require little expert supervision once you have learned the technique correctly. The only requirement to reap the health benefits of breathing exercises is to do them regularly. However, if you feel discomfort after practicing the breathing exercises, notify your doctor immediately.
