Breathing Exercises

Breathing exercises are an easy technique to reduce stress, calm the central nervous system, increase blood oxygenation, and promote digestion. All Margo’s classes begin and end with breathing exercises to fully unlock the potential of your workout and ease the body into recovery. Here are 3 to do on your own, when you see fit.

1.Lion’s Breath

Lion’s breath is an energizing breath that relieves tensions in the face and chest and invigorates the body.

In a comfortable seated position, press your hands (palms down, fingers wide) on your thighs or knees.
Inhale deeply through your nose with your eyes wide open.
Open your mouth wide and stick the tongue out down toward the chin.
As you exhale through the mouth, contract the muscles in the throat to me a long “haaaa” sound.
Eyes rest at the third eye or the tip of the nose.
Repeat 3-5 times to alleviate stress, reduce toxins, and stimulate the body.

2.Equal Breathing

Equal breathing focuses on making the inhale and the exhale the same in duration. Steadying the breath is known to restore balance and equilibrium to the body and mind.

Begin in a comfortable position noticing your own personal breath count. Settle on a count that is not too fast or slow in order to remain comfortable and bring peace to the body. Anywhere from 3-6 counts is typical. Continue for 4-5 breaths. Once you’ve found a stride you can practice any variation of this exercise. You may add a slight pause in between inhalation and exhalation to mimic natural breath. Perhaps instead of a count, you’d like to replace it with a word. Any intention will suffice. If you’d like to inhale and exhale different words (ex. inhale intention, exhale distraction) utilize the same syllabic count to perform this breathing exercise.

3. 2 Sip Breathing

2 Sip breathing is an exercise to pause the mind and release attachment to anxiety. This exercise specifically quells the fight-or-flight response to ease the body into rest and relaxation.

This breath begins with a sharp inhalation to fill the abdominals. Breath in once more visualizing the breath to the heart and lungs. Steadily exhale all your breath. Do this for five minutes to allow the body to completely relax. You may feel tingling in extremeities as the influx of oxygen stimulates the muscles.

Breathing exercises require little preparation and no previous experience. Whenever you feel like you can benefit from slowing the mind, oxygenating the body, and relaxing the nervous system, utilize a breathing exercise to give yourself a natural reset.