Research is mounting that a natural, potent source of stress relief is right in front of your nose. New science is showing that slowing down and deepening your breathing can have profound effects on well-being. Breathing exercises – a staple of mindfulness and yoga practices – have been shown to help control blood pressure, improve heart rate, make arteries more flexible and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which tamps down the body’s fight – or – flight response to stress. Dr. Andrew Weil and other experts now believe deep breathing has a place in a clinical setting.

Follow the steps below to start breathing exercise:

Step 1: Sit in a position that is comfortable enough to sustain for a few minutes of alternate-nostril breathing (Sitting in a chair is just fine). This is one of many breathing exercises shown to have some health benefits.

Step 2: Make a “hang 10” sign with your right hand. Hold your right thumb over your right nostril to plug it closed. Inhale slowly through the left nostril until your lungs are full. Hold for four seconds.

Step 3: Release the right nostril and plug the left with a pinkie. Slowly exhale. Once you have exhaled fully, inhale through the right nostril to repeat on the other side. Do about four rounds on each side – or more if you have time. Many researchers can’t imagine how something so simple could actually have effects on physiology. Research shows that slow breathing exercises improve exercise capacity in patients with chronic heart failure.

So, have you ever tried to do breathing exercise yourself?

Text by Clinique Suisse
Stock photos from GraphicStock.com

Source(s) :
http://www.cliniquesuisse.co.id/