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Our busy lives are a constant cycle of rush hours, chores, managing home and work and taking time to pursue our own interests. As women, you often take the backseat in your own life stories in order to look after others or multitask to get things done. With all the constant influx of activities and work, it is quite natural to feel anxious and overwhelmed. To combat this, we brought you tips on taking care of your mental health earlier. Today, we will talk about how deep breathing exercises restore the mind-body balance and help you stay calm on a regular basis. To start with, taking just a few minutes each day to practise some deep breathing exercises can decrease stress, relax your mind and rejuvenate your body. It improves energy levels, blood flow and even one’s posture. Deep breathing also relaxes your mind and body by helping you become calmer via a steady supply of oxygen, unlike when you are facing other emotions such as anger, stress or fear when your muscles are tightened and your breathing becomes constricted. |
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Here are a few of our recommendations which are easy to practise. Remember: Start slowly and build up intensity and time only if the practice is comfortable. Stop immediately if you feel uneasy or any kind of discomfort. Nadi Shodhana – Close your right nostril with the thumb, exhale and inhale from the left nostril. Then close the left nostril with the ring finger, exhale and inhale from the right nostril. Continue to alternate nostril breathing for up to 10 breaths, up to 10 minutes. Ujjayi – Inhale and exhale through the nose making a slight snoring sound with a light constricting of the upper throat and soft palate. Continue for 10 breaths for a maximum of 10 minutes. |
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Active breathing – Take long, slow, deep breaths in and out through the nose when you walk. Try to lengthen the inhale and exhale as you keep walking. Count the steps you take for each full inhale and exhale. Aim to take 10 steps or more for each inhale and 10 steps for each exhale. Try to keep the inhale the same length as the exhale. Bhramari – Inhale with Ujjayi (see above) and during the exhale, hum like a bee. The hum should create a resonating vibration in the head and heart. Take 10 deep breaths in this way. Take another 10 deep Bhramari breaths and plug both ears only during the exhale. |
