“For breath is life, and if you breathe well you will live long on Earth.” –Sanskrit proverb
Breathing is life, and life is breathing. Your breathing is influenced by your thoughts, and your thoughts and physiology can be affected by your breathing.
You breathe hundred of millions of times throughout your entire life, without thinking.
Deep breathing is an essential part of meditation, yoga, tai chi and responsible for many of these practices’ benefits. The most straightforward explanation is the following: when you breathe deep, you switch from “fight or flight” sympathetic mode to the parasympathetic one, which is deeply relaxing and calming. The vagus nerve, the main component of the parasympathetic system, is activated when you breathe deeply When you practice deep breathing, you engage the abdominal muscles and diaphragm, rather than your neck and chest, bringing more oxygen into your lungs.
Then more oxygen will reach tissues and cells throughout your body. Breathing exercises help improve
V02 max- a marker of cardio-respiratory fitness. These exercises also boost your resting metabolic rate, which is the total number of calories burned when your body is at rest.
Only by bringing awareness to breathing and practicing deep breathing regularly you can stabilize your blood pressure, increase energy levels, reduce anxiety, depression, PTSD, and boost your immunity.
Belly breathe. This is one of the most popular breathing technique is used during yoga.
1. Place one hand on your belly.
2. Take a deep breath in through the nose. Feel the belly
expand and rise during inspiration.
3. Exhale slowly and deeply through the nose. Feel the
belly contract and lower. If you place a hand on your
belly, your writing should more down.
4. Practice 3- 5 minutes several times a day Here is a unique breathing technique to relieve anxiety and
help you fall asleep faster.
The 4 7 8 breathing technique:
1. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose
to a mental count of 4.
2. Hold your breath for a count of 7.
3. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of 8.
This is one breath. Here is the video with this method, pioneered by Dr Andrew Weill.
Let’s talk about two special breathing techniques for weight loss.
Japanese breathing.
You may have heard of the “Japanese breathing” or “the long breath diet,” designed by Miki Ryosuke, a Japanese actor. He claims he lost 28 pounds and almost 5 inches around his waistline in just a few weeks using this technique (which was actually recommended for back pain).
How is it done: Stand up and push one leg forward and the other back. Next, strain your buttocks and transfer your weight to your back foot. You take a three-second breath, then exhale powerfully for seven seconds. You have to do
it for 2 minutes daily. Here is the video.
Vacuum twist. A second technique is called a vacuum twist.
This was a trendy method back in the 1970s and 1980s, and fitness enthusiasts claim that you can lose 2 to 4 inches off the midsection in as little as 3 weeks. Again, it involves deep breathing and targets the inner muscles of the abdomen. How is it done:
1. Exhale completely while standing.
2. Pull in your stomach as hard as you can from the belly
button.
3. Hold as long as you can go without a breath.
4. Start small and work your way up to longer holds.
This should be done 3 times a day. Here is Heidi Powell’ video explaining this technique.
Do these two techniques replace regular exercise, as they are advertised? No, in my opinion. But they can significantly boost your metabolism, tone your core, and enhance exercise. Based on my experience using these last two techniques, I have to say that they definitely make your core stronger, and your abdominal muscles more defined. When combined with a low carb diet, exercise, and good night sleep, they help you lose unwanted inches around your waistline. Still, it is work looking at how you lose fat through breathing in more detail.
Fat is eliminated through breathing
The connection between breathing and metabolism is wellestablished. Deep breathing brings more oxygen to the body, and this oxygen promotes better absorption of nutrients, helps you flush toxins, and further leads to weight loss.
A 2014 study featured in the BMJ found that the majority of weight loss occurs via breathing. While most medical experts believe that fat is converted to energy or heat, eliminated within feces, or converted to muscles. However, this breakthrough study shows that most fat is eliminated through breathing while exhaling carbon dioxide.
This study tracked down the fat molecules and found that when 10 kilograms of fat are broken down (oxidized), about 8.4 kilograms were converted and eliminated through carbon dioxide. In comparison, the remaining 1.4 kilograms became water.
ps. this is chapter 3 from my new book :
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