Breathwork to Help Efficiency while Exercising
With Wildfires slowly starting to crawl back into our lives this fall, we wanted to focus on our breathing and the importance that breathwork can have on us. Breathing is a concept we are all familiar with; you are probably doing it right now. It is an unconscious activity that we all take part in. But practicing breathwork has many benefits, from reducing stress and anxiety, managing pain, and increasing an athlete's performance. You might commonly see athletes like swimmers and runners use different breathing techniques to help perform. Let's break down breathwork and walk through common exercises you can do to improve your performance.
What is breathwork:
Breathwork brings attention to your breath to focus on the following benefits:
Relaxing: We instinctively use deep breathing to reduce stress or nerves before a big race or an important meeting. When you take a deep breath, the action sends a message to your brain to tell your body to take a step back and relax. Using deep breaths will serve you in all aspects of your life.
Increasing Lung Capacity: Do you ever feel like lactic acid or your lungs hold you back when training? Through breathwork, you are training your lungs to hold more air, thus creating a more efficient breathing system.
Improving Exercise Performance: when you focus on your breathing while exercising, you keep your mind focused on the present. You are not thinking about "what am I going to make after-dinner" but focusing on your muscles and how you feel. This way, you are more in tune with your body before, during, and after a workout.
Breathwork Exercises:
Alternate Nostril Breathing: This breath control practice is typically done with a yoga or meditation practice and is commonly used as a relaxation technique. Alternate nostril breathing involves breathing through one nostril while the other is closed manually while sitting cross-legged with an erect spine.
How to do it:
sit down with your legs crossed
Place your left hand on your left knee and bring your right hand to your nose.
At the end of your exhale, bring your free hand to close your right nostril.
Inhale through your left nostril, and close it with your fingers. Open up your right nostril and exhale.
Inhale through your right nostril and close it with your fingers. Open your left nostril and exhale.
This is one round. when ready to conclude, end the practice by exhaling on the left side
Lion's Breath: Lion's breath is a breathing technique to relieve tension in your chest and face while energizing the rest of your body. The exercise helps relieve stress and, due to the silly nature of the pose, helps boost personal confidence.
How to do it:
Come to a comfortable seated position and press your palms to your knees.
Deep inhale through your nose and open your eyes. At the same time, open your mouth and stick your tongue out, bringing the tip to your chin.
Make a "HA" sound as you exhale through your mouth by contracting the muscles at the back of your throat.
You may look up to the space between your eyebrows or the tip of your nose (cross-eye)
do this 2-3 times
Pursed Lips Breathing: Pursed lips breathing is a breathing technique designed to make your breathing more intentional. The exercises helps control shortness of breath while exercising, thus helping your performance. You will commonly see this technique used when climbing stairs or lifting heavy objects.
How to do it:
Relax your neck and shoulders
Inhale through your nose for a 2 count. Purse your lips like you are going to whistle and exhale through your mouth for 4 counts. you
Coherent Breathing: Coherent Breathing is when you breathe at a rate of 5 full breaths per minute. This technique maximizes your heart rate variability and reduces stress.
How to do it:
Inhale for a count of 5
Exhale for a count of 5
Continue this pattern for 3-5 minutes.
Brady, D. (2013, April 4). How to increase lung capacity and endurance. SportsScience.CO. https://www.sportsscience.co/sport/how-to-increase-lung-capacity/
Cronkleton, E. (2019, April 9). 10 Breathing Exercises to Try: For Stress, Training, & Lung Capacity. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/breathing-exercise#resonant-breathing
Ghiya, S. (2017, July 14). Alternate nostril breathing: a systematic review of clinical trials. International Journal of Medical Science. https://www.msjonline.org/index.php/ijrms/article/view/3581/3158
Healthwise staff. (2020, August 31). Stress Management: Breathing Exercises for Relaxation. The University of Michigan Health. https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/uz2255#:~:text=Deep%20breathing%20is%20one%20of,this%20message%20to%20your%20body.
Mekanix Gym. (2018, March 28). Improving Exercise Performance: Breathwork is the technique That will elevate Your Workout Routine. Mekanix Houston. https://www.mekanixhouston.com/improving-exercise-performance-breathwork-technique-elevate-workout-routine/