DON’T MIND ME !!……….. But in this blog I AM GOING to be …………….NOSEY!!
Are you wondering…..Wait ….What?? …………Nosey??
Don’t worry!!…….I am not here to poke my nose into anybody’s business…
Well… Maybe….I am.
I am here to ask you to ……………PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BREATHING!!
Stop breathing through your MOUTH!
YOUR NOSE IS THERE FOR A REASON…….NOT JUST FOR DECORATION!! Right??
When you ask a 2-year-old toddler…How do you breathe?............He/ She is quick to point to the nose.
Of course!! It’s so obvious!! But why do we as adults often take the most obvious or important things for granted and rarely pay attention to it??
Meditation, Yogic Breathing, Oceanic breathing 10- 20 minutes a day focusing on deep nasal breathing are all excellent! But what about the rest of 23+ hours of the day??
Oxygen is the source of life and breathing is the only way to source it to your body. Breathing correctly changes the chemistry in our body. Contrary to the mouth which inhales everything that passes through it, our nose has filters to remove toxins, allergens and even ‘VIRUSES’ from the air. The nose also humidifies and warms/cools the air as required by the body.
There are a whole lot of books and pages and pages of content written on the benefits of Oxygen and Nasal Breathing. A few on the top of my head are increase in energy and vitality, boosts immune system, regulates blood pressure, reduces stress and anxiety, improves focus and helps your body function at an optimal level.
On the other hand, breathing through the mouth leads to falling sick frequently, dehydration, bad breath, snoring, low energy levels and lower performance of body functions.
NASAL BREATHING combined with BELLY BREATHING is the way to go!
If you are wondering what Belly Breathing is……. Don’t worry…. I have you covered…
Let’s do a simple test. Yes, go ahead…….You can do it right now!
Place one hand on your chest and the other hand on your belly. Continue to breathe normally and pay attention to the movement of your hand. If you notice that the hand on the chest is moving more, then your breathing is too shallow. And most likely it happens when you breathe through your mouth through the day.
What you want to be doing is………… Imagine your belly to be a balloon. Fill in the balloon with air while breathing in through the nose deeply. Feel the hand on your belly raise as you breathe in and then while breathing out, imagine squeezing out all the air from the balloon through the nose. Feel your belly flatten and pulled in as you are breathing out. Your chest should remain stable throughout.
So that’s Belly Breathing…….It’s pretty simple and with a little bit of focus and practice, that becomes your natural way of breathing.
So let me repeat………NASAL BREATHING combined with BELLY BREATHING is the way to go! I would typically want you to do this throughout the day, but lets start with strictly following this while practicing face yoga poses. That encourages mindfulness in your practice offering greater benefits.
Now, If you are wondering if I breathe consistently through the nose and follow belly breathing all day?? Well …..Not completely but almost.!!
If I am sharing something with you, it’s not because I am perfect, but it’s to raise awareness in you so that you can be conscious of your habits and try your best to do the things that are right for your body.
At the end of day, we are all ‘Work in progress’ striving to become the best version of ourselves.
Did I hear anybody use the standard excuse ….Well, it’s all good to hear but ‘WHO HAS THE TIME???
HA! HA! HA! …………..God save you 😊
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