How to inhale and exhale correctly? 3 techniques

Caution : You must consult your doctor for your health. This page presents only a personal and alternative point of view which should not be considered as an attempt to prescribe medicine.

Inhaling and exhaling, commonly known as breathing, is a process that allows humans to release oxygen to their vital organs such as the lungs, heart, brain and all organs in the body.

In addition, healthy breathing is definitely a way to fight stress and certain illnesses.

You must therefore understand the mechanisms that allow you to breathe well, because your survival depends on it.

Here are some tips on how to inhale well and how to exhale correctly.

Have a good control of your breath

The first trick to inhaling and exhaling correctly is to hold your breath for a few seconds (with empty lungs after an exhale).

In medical jargon, we say stay in apnea.

In yogic jargon, we say doing a "kumbhaka".

To do this, you have to stand, keep your chest straight and relax your shoulders.

You must then spread your legs so that their feet are at the same level as your pelvis in terms of width.

Then place your hands below the navel.

The most important part of this exercise is to flush out the oxygen that is in your lungs.

It should be done slowly, without forcing.

Then after a slight apnea with empty lungs, you wait for the lack of oxygen to reveal itself to you.

Once you feel the desire to breathe in, you have to actually breathe in through your nose.

The truth is, you don't have to strain because your lungs suck in air like a vaccum.

Then you let the exhale take place slowly and naturally.

Breathing properly consists above all in "sending" this inspiration to the bottom of your lungs, in order to inflate your belly.

The mistake most people make is to breathe into their rib cage by spreading the ribs apart with the inter-costal muscles.

Practice abdominal breathing

To better inhale and exhale, there are two types of abdominal breaths namely simple abdominal breathing and enhanced abdominal breathing.

Simple abdominal breathing

It should be noted from the outset that some people find it difficult to breathe normally, because during the breathing process, only the upper chest comes into action.

This unfortunate situation means that the lungs do not receive the amount of oxygen they need.

To avoid this deficit, your breathing must be led by the diaphragm and not your bust.

Simple abdominal breathing solves this problem.

Just inhale and inflate your belly while counting slowly to 5.

Your chest should not move during the inhalation, just your belly which should swell.

Then you have to get the air out of your belly at the same rate as inhaling, counting to 5 or more.

NOTE: the ideal is always to exhale twice as much as the inspiration.

If you feel that your goal has been reached, ie that you inhaled WITHOUT moving your chest (chest), you can already stop the exercise.

Otherwise, you have to repeat the simple abdominal breathing trick several times.

It's an easy exercise that you can do any time of the day or night, anywhere.

Whether you are sitting on a bus, in the subway, in your office chair, in bed, walking alone, etc.

you can do this for your own well-being, to remind yourself to breathe in your belly and not your rib cage.

Improved abdominal breathing

It is a question of resuming the simple abdominal breathing, but this time with different sequences.

First, lie down on your bed or on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat.

Then you have to put a hand on your stomach and take a long breath through your nostrils.

Make sure that only your belly has swelled.

Then once your inspiration is carried out without forcing, you have to get the oxygen out of your lungs through your mouth by vocalizing a sound: OHHHHHHhhhh.

Vocalization should get you to a maximum where you compress your abs to get the air out.

Then at the end of the slow but forced exhalation, you "let go", and you let the air come in naturally, while making sure that you are breathing in your belly.

This exercise should be repeated several times until you feel relaxed.

Practice the cat stretch technique

One of the most effective secrets to inhaling and exhaling correctly is the cat stretch technique.

By doing the same exercise of diaphragmatic breathing, you have to get on all fours as if you wanted to imitate the feline.

It should be done on a carpet or on your bed.

You should put your arms so that they are aligned with your shoulders (do not spread your arms too far).

Then try to arch your back while raising your head to look upwards with your face staring up at the ceiling.

Then you have to breathe out by curving your back like the cat while directing your head towards the breastbone.

It is advisable to repeat this movement 5 to 10 times, preferably in the morning when you wake up before even having your breakfast.

It is certainly a basic exercise, but it is really very effective in stretching all the respiratory muscles as well as the spine.

There are therefore several tips to inhale and exhale correctly, namely the cat stretch, the two types of abdominal breaths or the retention of your breath after the exhalation.

It's up to you to test the different techniques to choose the one that makes you the most good.

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