The Benefits of Breathing Deeply
Breath
is life! The more fully we breathe, the more life energy we
are giving to our self. This energy is used by all parts of
our lives, our emotions, our minds, our bodies.
People
who consistently breathe deeply tend to be more positive and
healthy. As long as we breathe in a shallow manner, we are
inviting depression and anxiety and sickness into our lives.
We are literally starving for some good clean air, and a sweep-out
of all our toxins. Shallow breathing denies both
requests.
Deep
breathing is the hero, cleaning out the poisons lingering in our
lungs, bodies and minds and replacing them with clean oxygen.
Deep breathing can increase confidence and self-esteem.
25%
of all the air we breathe is headed (pardon the pun) for our
brains. The more oxygen we supply to this priority organ, the
brighter and happier we become. More oxygen means more endorphins
(the natural "high" hormone). Our memories improve with more
oxygen. We find it easier to study and to learn. We even
start to look younger!
Breathing
out is as important as breathing in. Shallow breaths mean the
lower, and larger, part of our lungs is often filled with left over
toxins waiting for the next deep breath or big yawn to make their
escape. The rest of our body tries to rid us of these unhealthy
left-overs, working much harder than they are meant to do.
Anything that is overworked tends to run down, or break down, faster
than if working at the comfortably correct rate.
The
heart is a primary example of this overload. In the
Netherlands, Dr. Dixhoorn conducted a study comparing two groups of
heart attack patients. One group was trained in simple
diaphragmatic breathing. The other group was not. Within
the two years of the study, seven out of the twelve members of the
untrained group had second heart attacks. The breathing group had none!
Not one single second heart attack amongst the entire group.
Other
physical benefits of breathing deeply include:
-
Lower
blood pressure
-
Greater
blood volume
-
More
haemoglobin
-
Stronger
tendons and ligaments
-
Better
internal heat regulation
-
Thicker
cartilage
-
Larger
muscles
-
Less body
fat
-
Denser
bones
-
More
efficient lungs
-
More blood pumped
through the heart
-
More oxygen
extracted from the blood
-
More
capillaries
-
Lower
heart rate
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There are many more
benefits of breathing deeply. Some of these benefits include
couple, family, and group work. Breathing deeply together
makes us richer and more balanced in our relationships. The
Hawaiian word "ohana", meaning "family", comes from an older
meaning. It meant the "people who breathe together".
We do not have to
suddenly start breathing fully and deeply all the time. All
worthy goals take a little patience. Breathing a little more fully,
for longer every day, is an attainable achievement for most of
us. We can
increase the efficiency of our lungs a thousand fold by
increasing our air intake by a mere 5% on each breath.
A small increase every day will soon see us all breathing deeply,
and enjoying the benefits!
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