As a component of a stress management course I teach meditation. The biggest factor in learning to meditate is learning to breathe with the abdomen.
Why is Abdominal Breathing important? First, Abdominal Breathing is more effective. By learning to breathe air into the lower portion of your lungs you are able to get more air into your body, muscles, blood and, ultimately, to your brain.
Second, abdominal breathing allows you speak and use your voice without straining your throat or vocal cords. Speaking with shallow breath or by only filling the top portion of your lungs make the throat do the majority of work for producing sound. Over a period of time this can damage the throat causing polyps, lesions and damage to the vocal cords.
Third, abdominal breathing helps when you are under stress. When you are under stress your muscles tense up and there is a tendency to hold your breath as prepare your body prepares for a fight or flight response. This is a reaction of the sympathetic nervous system. The problem is that your body reacts the same way whether you are stressed out by lion trying to you or just the evening drive. If you have trained yourself to breathe using your abdominal muscles more air will get to your muscles as they prepare for your reaction.
What does abdominal breathing have to do with meditation? In meditation we try to control our breath to slow it down and there by slow our racing heart and lower our blood pressure. With abdominal breathing you can meditate anywhere, anytime you have 5 minutes to spare with the same stress reducing benefits.
Abdominal Breathing Exercise
1. Lay comfortably on the floor or the bed
2. Place one hand on your chest and one on your stomach.
3. Slowly inhale through your nose
4. As you inhale your should feel your diaphragm expand. If your chest expands as you are breathing shallowly or with your chest. Concentrate on filling the lower portion of your lungs using your stomach.
5. Slowly exhale.
This exercise can also be done seated as well.
So the next time you are feeling stressed take a nice deep breathe and relax.
Why is Abdominal Breathing important? First, Abdominal Breathing is more effective. By learning to breathe air into the lower portion of your lungs you are able to get more air into your body, muscles, blood and, ultimately, to your brain.
Second, abdominal breathing allows you speak and use your voice without straining your throat or vocal cords. Speaking with shallow breath or by only filling the top portion of your lungs make the throat do the majority of work for producing sound. Over a period of time this can damage the throat causing polyps, lesions and damage to the vocal cords.
Third, abdominal breathing helps when you are under stress. When you are under stress your muscles tense up and there is a tendency to hold your breath as prepare your body prepares for a fight or flight response. This is a reaction of the sympathetic nervous system. The problem is that your body reacts the same way whether you are stressed out by lion trying to you or just the evening drive. If you have trained yourself to breathe using your abdominal muscles more air will get to your muscles as they prepare for your reaction.
What does abdominal breathing have to do with meditation? In meditation we try to control our breath to slow it down and there by slow our racing heart and lower our blood pressure. With abdominal breathing you can meditate anywhere, anytime you have 5 minutes to spare with the same stress reducing benefits.
Abdominal Breathing Exercise
1. Lay comfortably on the floor or the bed
2. Place one hand on your chest and one on your stomach.
3. Slowly inhale through your nose
4. As you inhale your should feel your diaphragm expand. If your chest expands as you are breathing shallowly or with your chest. Concentrate on filling the lower portion of your lungs using your stomach.
5. Slowly exhale.
This exercise can also be done seated as well.
So the next time you are feeling stressed take a nice deep breathe and relax.
