Relieve Stress by Doing Yoga Breathing Exercises

If you are anything like me, stress creeps in on your life a few times or more per week. I laughed when a friend of mine told me to do yoga breathing exercises to rid me of stress. I thought it was a joke but decided to try it anyways. To my surprise, yoga breathing exercises helped in many ways to get the stress out and to calm me down.

I have decided to share my yoga breathing exercises with you since I have worked many years on finding what works best for me and how it might help others. I do not just settle on one type of exercise, I give it all a chance to better myself and to even help me mentally as well as physically.

Many people don't know that there is a proper way to breath. If you breath properly you can actually give yourself more oxygen to the lungs which then sends more oxygen to the blood and brain. Doing yoga breathing exercises can also help to tighten up your abs since you will be using your stomach muscles and they also allow for relaxation which in return can relieve stress.

Yoga has been beneficial for years and it is an exercise that has been passed down from generation to generation and from country to country.

The best way to learn how to do yoga breathing exercises so that you are breathing properly is to lie down on the floor and breath in. Hold your stomach and feel your stomach go in and out. While doing this you will fill your lungs fill up with air. Instead of lifting your chest in and out when you breath, try moving your stomach in and out.

Once you have the breathing down pat you can move on to the body position for yoga breathing exercises. There are many yoga breathing exercises to help you relieve stress but I am only going to tell you one of my favorite and later I will be writing another article on different other yoga breathing exercises so stay tuned for these.

When I do my yoga breathing exercises I like to do them in a dark room with scented candles going around me. The scented candles help you to relax especially if they are lavender scented. Cross your legs in what is known as Indian style and relax your arms above them. The back should be strengthened and straight with your head lined up with the back bone. Take a deep breath in using your stomach muscles and hold for a few seconds and then breathe out using your stomach muscles again. Try to relax and to not think about anything. If you find yourself thinking about the days events, try to picture a waterfall or a meadow. Continue to do this for a few minutes a day. Congratulations, you just did one of my favorite yoga breathing exercises.

Yoga has transformed over the years but it is basically focused on one thing; breathing. Breathing is an essential part of life and it has been rumored that while breathing properly you can actually live longer. Breathing properly can make your health a better since you will be getting more oxygen in places that need it.

Keep up this daily yoga breathing exercise and you could be feeling better in no time and getting rid of a lot of stress.

Sources: http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/pranayama/