The Importance Of Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises

Diaphragmatic breathing is the name for what is known as complete breathing. Most people actually practice only partial breathing, flexing the chest muscles in an attempt to inflate the lungs fully. Diaphragmatic breathing exercises help you to bring your diaphragm into play so that you can ensure the complete inflation of the lungs.

Flexing your diaphragm brings in more oxygen than simply flexing the ribcage. The diaphragm is a large muscle just under your chest, between the chest and the abdomen. When you contract the diaphragm by expanding the abdomen, it is forced downward, creating a negative pressure in the chest cavity, and forcing air into your lungs. This pulls blood and lymph into your chest as well, improving the circulation of lymph, and causing more venous return to the heart, and better oxygenation of blood.

Lymph is the bodies own security system, full of immune cells which helps fight infections and diseases. As a result, this type of breathing, and breathing exercises, are considered to be a much healthier and more complete way to breathe. It is also an effective remedy for hyperventilation and can help to control and minimize anxiety disorders. Diaphragmatic breathing is considered to be supremely beneficial for your health in many eastern philosophies and therapeutic regimes.

The Yoga breathing exercises, or Pranayama, are beneficial for both mind and body. A regular practice of such breathing can help you to increase not you’re your lung capacity, but also improve your general health. These exercises are a good way to manage the stress of day to day life. They can even help to relieve insomnia. They improve your stamina, make you more athletic, and help you fight disease and infection.

When practiced over time, the deep breathing exercises can give you improved energy levels for the entire day, is beneficial to your respiratory system, eases tight chest muscles, and helps to relieve chest pains. As a direct result of the superior lung expansion, and the improved blood and lymph flow that these exercises bring, long term respiratory illnesses like recurrent bronchitis and asthma can be eased and controlled.

There is an increase in the amount of oxygen and nutrients reaching the cells of the body, generating better overall health. It helps the nervous system to calm down, providing a better stress free mental state. Using the diaphragm for breathing massages the internal organs, especially of the digestive system.

To practice a basic diaphragmatic breathing exercise, first choose a comfortable position and a place. Sit comfortably, or lie down, before you begin. Make sure you are comfortably dressed. Tight or restrictive clothing is a no-no. Choose loose garments that you can really “breathe” in. place your hands on your chest and your stomach, and inhale slowly through your nose or pursed lips. As you breathe, the hand on your stomach should rise, indicating the expansion of the abdomen.

You might need some practice, especially if you are used to chest breathing. After a full breath is drawn, slowly exhale the accumulated breath through pursed lips. This helps to control the speed of release of air.