What is Breathing?
Breathing, in its simplest definition, is the process of inhaling and exhaling air into the lungs. Our body needs oxygen through respiration to release energy. We all breathe every moment. So how much are we breathing correctly? How much are we aware of breathing correctly?
Everyone uses correct breathing techniques from the moment they are born. Actually, this is in our nature. Unfortunately, until we reach adulthood, we lose our correct breathing skills to a great extent.
Breathing is one of our most basic physiological needs. Breathing correctly is the biggest favour we can do ourselves. However, it is possible to breathe correctly again by doing a few simple exercises.
What are the Benefits of Breathing Exercises?
Breathing exercises, which will be done in a correct and controlled manner, ensure that your body works in the best way, while at the same time regulating your blood pressure and blood pressure and making you feel comfortable.
- The deep breaths you take during breathing exercises send relaxing impulses to your brain. The relaxed brain, in turn, regulates your body’s heart rhythm and the functioning of your hormones. In this way, you will reduce your stress to the lowest possible levels.
- The breath you take into your body with breathing exercises provides a slow and conscious flow of oxygen to every part of your body by your brain. This makes it easier for you to focus in general and increases your concentration.
- Correct and regular breathing makes your parasympathetic nervous system work more effectively in your body. This means that you feel more relaxed and confident. Especially when you feel anxious and excited, you can try to breathe more slowly and consciously to relax yourself.
- Correct breathing is the perfect response to cancer, the disease of our age! Research has shown that cancerous cells cannot survive for a long time in high-oxygen environments and cannot continue to divide. However, we should not wait until we get sick to breathe properly.
- Breathing exercises help you to have a deep and quality sleep because they regulate blood pressure and regulate your heartbeat. Your pineal gland, which is active during sleep, works optimally with properly used oxygen. This leads to a balanced hormone secretion. Sleeping quality sleep is an unmissable opportunity for your body to regenerate.
- Breathing correctly will accelerate your blood flow in your whole body. The veins that nourish your skin make your skin look even more vibrant and radiant. Thanks to the vitamins and minerals that will go to your hair through the veins, you can have more vibrant hair that grows in a short time!
- One of the points that determine our health is the systematic and regular functioning of our organs. Your body, which will relax thanks to blood flow and oxygen balance, allows your organs to work healthier. Your systematic activities that are managed against your will can be supported in this way. For example; When the peristaltic, that is, oscillatory movements of your intestines take place under optimal conditions, you can benefit from the nutritional values of the foods you consume to the maximum extent.
- Breathing techniques reduce your desire for external substances, especially when you pay attention to your diet and diet to lose weight. In short, when you realise the oxygen saturation of your body, your brain will want less unhealthy substances such as harmful and junk food. This is also the reason why correct breathing techniques are used in smoking cessation methods.
Why is it Important to Breathe Correctly During Sports?
When you do sports; We try to pay attention to many points such as stretching movements, energising snacks and suitable clothes. We largely know points such as which movement will work which part of our body. However, we often forget that the most important part of the job is to breathe correctly…
Correct and regular breathing is necessary for new muscle formation to take place in a much healthier way. In addition, the proportional use of oxygen is very important in terms of having the potential to stretch the muscles.
When our muscles are working, they need a large amount of oxygen. When breathing is not done correctly, our body cannot fully send the energy it needs to the muscles, and the muscles also ferment when they are deficient in oxygen. Fermentation is a metabolic process in which energy can be produced only by glycolysis without the use of oxygen. The lactic acid released as a result of fermentation travels through the blood from the muscles to the brain. In the brain, this is perceived as fatigue. For this reason, if we do not breathe correctly, we will get tired in a short time while doing sports.
How Do I Breathe Correctly?
First of all, every breath you take should enter and exit through your nose. If there is no obstruction, you spend up to 150 times more energy when you breathe in and out through your nose than when you breathe in and out through your mouth.
Because the breath you take through the nose is filtered, brought to the temperature suitable for your body, the odour mechanism works effectively, harmful microorganisms are retained by the mucus here and the air is directed to the appropriate place. All this directly affects your nervous system and your nose is moisturised during breathing.
You should also fill your diaphragm with the breath you take. In this way, the breath you take through your nose will go down to the last part of your abdomen. Your diaphragm can deliver oxygen to the lower parts of the lungs, which allows you to breathe with better quality.
In all nature, movements take place rhythmically. Our body works just like in nature. For this reason, you should ensure that the breaths you take are rhythmic. Taking the air rhythmically into your body will allow your hormones to work more regularly.
Sample Breathing Techniques
There are countless breathing techniques. However, if you are new to breathing techniques, you should start with basic exercises.
Practical Correct Breathing Technique:
To learn how to breathe correctly, first push all the air out of your lungs. Using your abdominal muscles, push the air with all your strength and make sure that there is no air in your lungs. Stay like this for 4 seconds and take a deep breath through your nose into your diaphragm. Hold the breath for 7 seconds and breathe out heavily at the end of 7 seconds. Put your hand on your chest to make sure that the breath is filling the diaphragm and check that it does not move at all during this process.
Initially, this exercise can be quite challenging. However, it will get easier over time and you will definitely see the benefits.
Alternate breathing in and out through the nostrils:
Close the right side of your nose with your finger and make sure that the air flow is cut off. Breathe deeply and slowly only from your left side. After an average of 10 repetitions, do the same with the left side of your nose.
This exercise will effectively train the right and left lobes of your brain. It is a very important and easy-to-implement breathing technique for you to be more active and focused, especially before sports.
Rhythm Breathing Technique:
Holding the breath taken especially during weight lifting is a very harmful and big mistake. It can cause problems such as dizziness, increased blood pressure and disruption of the heart’s working physiology.
During running, you should inhale every 3 steps and gradually exhale every 5 steps. To avoid carbon dioxide poisoning, you should not breathe in short and fast. In order for this technique to work fully during running, you should do plenty of breathing exercises during your rest moments.
When doing sports and especially when lifting weights, you should exhale when you are having difficulty and inhale when you are relaxed. Exhaling while lifting the weight and inhaling while lowering the weight will work your muscles effectively and oxygen will be distributed proportionally to your body.