Breathing Done The Right Way

It’s a noisy world out there. The sounds attack all your systems, and this increases the stress level inside you. What can you do about it? How can you change what seems unchangeable? It is an external influencer; it is not in your hands to change it, nor to influence it.
Then, what?
Even if things seem to be uncontrollable, you still have the control in your hands. All that is necessary is for you to really want to lead your life and your perceptions of it.
How is this possible?
There is a simple answer… calming the noisy world inside you; reaching the margin between being too busy and being relaxed. This state can be obtained through different techniques.

Today… we will learn to breathe.

Sounds weird, doesn’t it? You already breathe. What is there more to learn about it?

Let me share with you a personal story. When I was a child, 8 maybe 9 years of age, I found something that caught my childish attention on my parents’ bookshelves. It was a book on yoga.
Well… no one in our family ever practiced yoga, but I have to admit that in our DNA there’s probably a “book-devouring gene”.
The book was there, I don’t recall its exact title, but I would always recognize its cover. All my entire childhood, no matter what passions and hobbies I had, that book called me repeatedly.
Inside it, there was something that attracted me… the description of a breathing technique. My childish mind was at that time bombarded with many existential questions; therefore a breathing technique was more than inspiring for me.
I tried to practice what was described in the book. I soon started to find it funny; I practiced more and more and after many years I finally understood that I can’t even remember how I was breathing before reading the book. That breathing technique was implemented in “my blood”.

Why am I telling you my short personal story? Because I’ve been on this planet for half a century already and the fact that I’ve been breathing that way, has influenced many things in my life.

Many years ago, I was a heavy smoker. I was smoking so much that smoke was probably coming out from my body even while sleeping. It is not something to be proud of and normally I would not write about this.

But… I have to tell you now because we are talking here about breathing done the right way.

Occasionally, I am checking my health and each time when I do, the doctors are also checking my lungs. All the time, without any exception, the doctors simply yell out loud… “Wow! What kind of lungs are these? We’ve never seen such healthy lungs until now!” I remember twice, they even asked for my permission to call some new medical students to show them how healthy lungs should look like.

Now… I am sure that the breathing technique I started to practice since I was a child helped my lungs look this way.

Moreover… I am looking at least 10-15 years younger compared to many of my old school classmates. Again… the only secret must be the breath.

And speaking about this breath… whenever I hear audio lessons about how to relax, and they start counting for 4 seconds while inhaling and exhaling, this makes me dizzy. I simply cannot keep the rhythm with their counting. My breathing cycle lasts longer, much longer than 4+4 seconds. With each inhalation, my lungs fill up with fresh air all the way to their last “hidden corners”. Usually, the instructor gives instructions for 2-3 breathing cycles while I barely succeed to finish my first cycle in their count. But, this comes with time.

For now, let’s see how you can begin to breathe in such a way that soon (combining it with other techniques that we will talk about in future articles), you will succeed to silence the noise inside you. And when you succeed to do this, all the stress will vanish away.

Now, Meet The “Roll Breathing” Technique

The best position to practice this complete breathing exercise is by lying on your back with your knees bent. Still… you can do it in any position that you find comfortable for you.

• To do this breath technique, you need first to release the tension from your body, relaxing it. Start with your shoulders if you need to logically start with any part of your physical body.
• Place one hand on your diaphragm and the other hand on your belly. Pay attention to your hands how they are moving up and down during the inhaling and exhaling act.
• Practice several times the filling of the lower lungs and feel how your hand on your belly moves while you try to keep the other hand in the same position. Are your shoulders relaxed? If not, try doing it again while you relax the shoulders also. Try it 5-7 times to control the lower lungs and only after this go to the next step.
• Continue inhaling as before, focusing on the lower part of your lungs and slowly let the air fill your upper chest also. Pay attention to both hands. Soon, you will see it as a vertical hand dancing moment accompanied by a rolling waves rising and falling moment. Enjoy it while you become more and more relaxed.
• Practice this kind of controlled breathing for about five minutes. Inhale through your nose for about four seconds (as you will gain experience you can increase that time). While you inhale, your belly will move outward, more than your chest. As you slowly exhale through your mouth, gently press on your belly. At the same time, this will push your diaphragm upward, and the air will find its way out.

Do not rush to master this technique. Give your body time to learn how to relax while doing it, and in this way you will gain maximum results from this exercise.

This type of breathing, practiced long term, will not only help you focus on your reaction towards the stress level but step by step you will start to empower your health status also.