Wake up happy and energised with this 5-minute morning breathing exercise: Learn how to do belly breathing

New Delhi: Including some simple breathing exercises in your morning routine can make a big difference in your life. While you can practice this calming technique at any time of the day, there is something pure about the morning when the air is fresh and your mind is most aware during this part of the day. Starting your morning with just 5 minutes of belly breathing is a powerful tool to ease stress and begin your day on a healthy note.

Belly breathing, or diaphragmatic breathing, is a type of a breathing exercise that is very relaxing. It is the most basic of breathing techniques and can be done anytime you want to relax or get relief from stress. It is simple but has a ton of benefits for your mind and body. Learn the benefits of belly breathing and how to do it.

Health benefits of belly breathing

One of the main benefits of practising belly breathing is reducing stress. Some of the benefits of diaphragmatic breathing include:

• It helps you relax by lowering the negative effects of cortisol or stress hormone of your body
• It encourages full oxygen exchange
• It can help people with COPD strengthen the diaphragm
• It helps lower your blood pressure
• It lowers your heart rate
• It can help you cope with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• It strengthens the diaphragm, which
• The basic breathing exercise also improves your core muscle stability helps the body tolerate intense exercise
• It boosts your metabolism, which may help you lose weight and burn body fat.

How to do belly breathing

• Sit or lie flat on your back in a comfortable position
• Relax your shoulders
• Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly
• Inhale deeply through the nose for about 2 seconds, making your stomach expand and keeping your chest relatively still
• Exhale slowly through pursed lips for about 2 seconds, pressing gently on your belly to push all the air out
• Repeat these steps several times and see how you feel at the end of the exercise.

This breathing exercise takes only a few minutes. For optimal results, try practising it for about 5-10 minutes, several times a day. In case you have COPD and want to incorporate abdominal breathing into your routine to improve your breathing, make sure that you talk to your doctor or respiratory therapist before starting this exercise.