This weeks wellness challenge comes just in time for all of us recovering from last week's events. Breathing is something we do 24 hours a day and most of the time we never even think about it. Take a moment to watch this video and learn how some simple breathing techniques can improve your sleep and help you recover from workouts.
3 Different Techniques
#1) 4-7-8 - To help calm you down to go to sleep. Start with 4-5 breaths in a row before adding more.
Developmental Breathing (Resets)
#2) Prone- 1 to 2 inhale to exhalation 6-10 times
#3) Supine heels elevated reset (I like to use before my workouts)
How should we breathe?
The abdomen expands first, then the chest. Don’t use the neck!
Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, or in and out through the nose for quiet breathing 8 to 10 times per minute.
When performing breathing exercises, exhale twice as long as inhaling to recruit abdominals.
Why?
The bottoms of the lungs have a better blood supply, so there is good oxygen for the body.
The diaphragm will get a lot of use, which prevents it from becoming tight and/or dormant.
There will be less use of secondary respiratory muscles, and therefore less chance of neck pain, headache, shoulder pain, and back pain.
Posture improves as a result of all of the above.
You will feel better.
*information from PRI (Postural Restoration Institute).