|
|
Breathing
Exercise
by Catherine Sutton
Breathing
Most meditation practices, yoga,
and the martial arts encourage breathing from the lower abdomen, or hara.
Focusing attention on this area harmonizes the body, mind, emotions, and spirit,
helping us to feel more grounded. Breathing is synonymous with being alive. If
we stop breathing we stop living, and if we breathe well we can increase our
vitality and stability.
Correct breathing leads to:
• good exchange of oxygen and
carbon dioxide in all the cells
• better management of stress
• better lymph drainage
• improved circulation
• feeling connected and a sense of well-being
• feeling grounded or centered
• feeling relaxed
Breathing
Exercise
Close your eyes and observe how
you breathe. Is your breath caught up in your chest or does it go deep down into
your abdomen?
Practice
Exercise
1. Lie on the
ground or sit in a position where your spine is straight.
2. Tense all the
muscles in your body completely as you inhale. Concentrate on the tension and
hold tight for eight to ten seconds. Gradually let the muscles go as you
exhale and feel the contrast. Try to let go and relax totally. Repeat two to
three times.
3. Exhale
completely.
4. To check whether
you are breathing into your lower abdomen, place one hand on your chest and
the other on the abdomen below the navel.
5. Inhale and see
which hand moves the most. If your breathing is efficient, the lower hand
should move the most.
To ensure that you have
understood lower abdominal breathing:
6. Inhale very,
very slowly, allowing the breath to enter effortlessly through your nose. At
the same time, push out your abdomen as though you were blowing up a balloon
in your belly. Move your chest as little as possible.
7. After your
abdomen is stretched, expand your chest with air. This fills up the middle
part of your lungs. Hold the breath for about five seconds and then slowly
begin to exhale. As you do so, let your abdomen fall and relax. Repeat this
for twenty breaths. Focus your attention on the movement of your abdomen as
you inhale and exhale.
As you continue to do this
regularly, you will have to put less effort into expanding your abdomen — your
breath will do that for you. After a while, lower abdominal breathing will
become second nature. If you practice it each day while lying down, it will
become easier to do it even when going about routine tasks in the house, at
work, or in the street. Become aware of when your breath gets caught up in your
chest. When this happens, consciously drop your shoulders and place a hand on
your lower abdomen, and breathe into this area, allowing your abdomen to expand.
Then exhale, with a feeling of letting go.
|
[Meditation/_private/border_temp.htm]
|
