Breathing

[Yana]

I have noticed that my breathing has become very deep and slowed down tremedously. Pretty damn :cool: .

Anyone else? After years of feeling as though I am not quite getting enough air, this is AMAZING!! And, I do smoke cigarettes :eek: :o (plan to quit soon)

[sport]

Not me. I was actually thinking of posting a question about this because I did an online test at the weekend here http://breathing.com/tests.htm
and I did very badly.
Has anyone any experience of mechanically improving their lung capacity using special exercises.

[currious]

yana- that is sooo cool! seriously!

sport -I have pretty severe asthma and something a repertory therapist taught me was.....ok let me see if i can explain this correctly....

1 inhale deeply(right to the point before it hurts, if it does)
2 exhale very very slowly through your lips, the key to this is to form your mouth as if you were going to whistle a tune, do this a few times and it should steady your breathing, works well when you don't have any other options......


and of course yoga exercises are amazing.....

good luck!

[Judy]

Sport,

Sometimes yoga teachers give breathing exercises. In pilates there's a lot of emphasis on proper breathing too. In energy work, like Qi Gong or Tai Chi, or other types of energy work classes, you can learn proper breathing too, depending on the teacher. There even are people specialized in breathing techniques, who give workshops! Proper breathing can help relax, give more energy and stimulate your metabolism amongst others.
There are also dvd's and books available on breathing techniques, search on Amazon.com. One of them being: 'The art of breathing, six simple lessons to improve performance, health and well-being' by Nancy Zi. Here's her website: http://www.theartofbreathing.com/
I bet you can also find breathing exercises online using the wonderful magic of google :).

I myself am a very shallow breather and have found some benefit in using techniques I've learnt in energy work and yoga and pilates classes. I also did some of the breathing exercises from Nancy Zi and other books. Key is that you have to take the time and energy to practise, and be aware of and correct your breathing constantly in daily life. I still am a shallow breather (due to lots of tension, plus bad habits), but I do notice benefits when I pay attention to my breathing. Relaxation or reducing tension (for example by proper sleep, yoga and meditation) also have a wonderful effect on my breathing and well-being. Alternative therapies, like a certain type of bodywork and The Journey (by Brandon Bays), also helped reducing the tension in my diaphragm. I think relaxation and awareness are key.

[sport]

Thanks Judy. I have saved that link and will read the site in full later.
Sorry Yana. I seem to have hijacked your thread.

[barose]

My breathing did improve for a bit, but now back to being difficult. With all of the fires in the area, lack of rain, and general pollution, even raw cant help with everything.

I cant wait until the first rain.

[Judy]

I have noticed that my breathing has become very deep and slowed down tremedously. Pretty damn :cool: .

Anyone else? After years of feeling as though I am not quite getting enough air, this is AMAZING!! And, I do smoke cigarettes :eek: :o (plan to quit soon)

Do you think it's because of your raw food lifestyle? Or did you also slow down in general (meaning less stress)?

[Yana]

Sport - haha, don't apologize!! I hope that link judy provided helps you :)

Judy - I think it is definitely due to raw, my life is nuts!! haha, work, at a law office, and school, studying actuarial science, both full time, no slowing down here :eek: :p . It didn't just occur, I just happened to realize yesterday, but it must have be recent. It's incredibly strange, but I love it :D