4 Powerful Yoga Breathing Exercises for Beginners

Yoga Breathing Exercises for Beginners

In these days of stress and uncertainty, we can all benefit from yoga breathing practices. Yoga breathing has been found to lower stress and improve cardio vascular functioning. It improves lung function and respiratory endurance, helpful in the time of a respiratory pandemic! It lowers the heart rate and promotes well-being. So, why would not take a few minutes daily for yoga breathing exercises for beginners?

4 Yoga Breathing Exercises for Beginners

1. Ujjayi breathing is a powerful warming breath where we keep our mouth closed and breathe through the nose only. Fill up the entire belly with air and allow the exhale to hum in the throat. This breath improves concentration in physical practice, it lessens distractions because we can hear the hum and we have a physical sensation to focus on, and it can release tension in the body. Ujjayi Breathing is the primary beginning method in Ashtanga Yoga. Here are the benefits of Ujjayi breath:

• Improve your concentration
• Release tension through the body
• Regulate heating and cooling of the body
• Warming the core from the inside- a piece of the powerful yoga breathing exercises for beginners

2. Alternate Nostril Breathing will open up the hemispheres of the brain allowing for clearer thinking. This exercise can relieve headaches, improve respiratory and cardio vascular health, reduce stress and anxiety, and prepare us for meditation. Benefits of alternate nostril breathing yoga breathing exercises for beginners:

• Bring better balance to your nervous system
• Less stress response and activity over time
• Lowers blood pressure
• Slows heartbeat
• Improves breathing

3. Counted Breathing can slow down our breath and our parasympathetic nervous system.  It is calming and rhythmic. It will send a message to your parasympathetic nervous system to slow down.  It is like taking the fight and flight syndrome down a notch.  It may also benefit the immune system. Benefits of counted breathing:

• Pulls focus from the panic producing situation
• Helps you control your response to stimuli
• Helps sleep when having insomnia
• Helps refocus when having a stressful day

4. Breath retention practice helps us find some control over our breath and can remind us that we do have control over one thing in a world that may be spinning out of control.  It can bring more blood to the brain and heart, allow more air to enter the lungs, and calm the nervous system. These benefits can result in a healthier digestive system as well. Benefits of yoga breathing exercises for beginners through breath retention practice:

• Improves oxygen saturation
• Helps the brain to stimulate our breathing
• Gives you a sense of control over your body responses

Try some of these yoga breathing exercises for beginners today and let me know how you feel.

“For breath is life, and if you breathe well, you will live long on the earth.”

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