Breathing exercises to relieve stress. Basic ways of breathing. Deep breathing for relaxation

Permanent stay in state nervous tension very negatively affects the work of the whole organism. But almost every second person daily faces stress factors, but only a few are able to cope with them. negative impact. Quarrels at home, conflicts at work, health problems and other reasons can cause chronic stress, which can lead to development serious illnesses both nervous and other body systems. How to reduce emotional stress without the help of pharmacological drugs? In solving this issue, special breathing exercises to relieve stress will help.

Proper breathing

Before proceeding to the description of the developed system, you need to figure out how to breathe correctly. 'Cause breathing is natural physiological process and how a person inhales and exhales air, partly depends on his well-being. The correct type of breathing is diaphragmatic , that is, not the chest, but the stomach is involved in the process. Inhalations should be short and exhalations long. Breathing in this way, you can quickly normalize increased blood pressure relieve stress and calm down.

Breathing exercises

Breathing exercises to relieve stress are an effective and affordable technique for everyone.

To combat the influence of stress factors are used different kinds breathing exercises. The following are the most effective of the exercises that help eliminate nervous tension and achieve calmness:

  1. Sitting position, body relaxed, back straight. We take a deep, but short breath, drawing in the stomach. Exhale slowly, relaxing the muscles abdominal cavity. Breathe like this for 5 minutes.
  2. In the same position, we draw in air through the nose and in the same way we sharply release it back, that is, we exhale with force through the nose. The back should be straight, the neck extended, the chin raised. Repeat the exercise 5 to 10 times.
  3. The position is the same, sitting, back straight. We take a deep breath through the nose and exhale with effort through the mouth, using the diaphragm. Perform the exercise up to 5 times.
  4. To accept comfortable position, take air balloons and inflate them for 3-5 minutes. Such an activity is not only breathing exercises, but also perfectly distracts from stressful thoughts and factors. You can also use bubble which requires less effort to inflate, but also promotes relaxation and improved performance respiratory system.

Prolonged walking with proper breathing great way fight both stress and excess weight.
You should take a slow breath, counting the number of steps - from 4 to 6, after drawing in the air, you need to hold it in the lungs for 2-3 seconds, while not stopping walking. Then you need to slowly exhale, taking the next 4-6 steps.

Proper breathing helps relieve emotional stress, get rid of stress symptoms (headache, irritability) and improve a person’s overall well-being.

Most people experience stress modern people. Many people get used to living in such a state, not knowing and not understanding how to get rid of oppressive feelings. Specially designed breathing exercises for stress will help to cope with the problem. Carried out correctly, it will relieve tension, restore a sense of calm and restore peace of mind. Often, such techniques pull a person out of even a severe depressive state, returning the joy of life. But in order to breathe properly, it is important to know how to do it.

Breathing is the most important function human body supporting life. It is fully automated, and in a normal situation, people do not notice how they breathe, and do not make any effort to do so. Normal, uniform work of the lungs provides the blood with the right amount of oxygen, regulates metabolic processes and performs a number of other tasks:

  • breaks down complex organic (and inorganic) nutrients into simpler and more easily digestible ones - the oxidation process;
  • participates in the development required amount energy;
  • stimulates mental activity(the brain dies quickly without oxygen).

Breathing must be deep, even in order to perform all functions correctly. And what happens at the moment of the strongest psychological stress? Breaths become superficial, short. The body does not receive the required amount of life-giving gas - and health problems begin:

  • fast fatiguability,
  • irritability,
  • insomnia or, conversely, pathological drowsiness,
  • prostration,
  • weakening of the immune system
  • exacerbation of chronic or the emergence of new physical diseases,
  • nightmares,
  • progressive anemia and much more.

All these are the consequences of improper breathing caused by stressful situations. And often they are permanent, especially in conditions of life. modern cities setting an incredible pace of life (see).

Cope with a serious problem and return not only mental and physical health, but also the joy of every new day, energy, positive attitude help a variety of breathing techniques to relieve stress - special complexes exercises designed with human needs in mind. Knowing them, you will learn to breathe full chest- and resist adverse factors and influences of the external environment.

The understanding of proper breathing does not differ much depending on the specific technique. The main condition is uniformity and depth. You should inhale deeply, not grabbing air in fits and starts. Only in this way will it be possible to maintain self-control even in the most difficult situation, stay calm and overcome panic. The body will get the right substance and start all the natural chemical reactions, no matter what happens - already good. And the brain, not left without a vital portion of oxygen, will retain the ability to reason logically without falling into hysterics.

And now - specifically about some popular techniques.

What should be breathing according to yoga

The purpose of yoga is to teach a person to control as much as possible own body and above all, breathing. The ancient teaching treats this function very carefully, devoting a lot of time to it. Students must learn to control their lungs and feel how the air passes in: unhindered, deep, correct.

According to yoga, breathing exercises to relieve stress help to establish the strongest connection with inner world, activates powerful energy flows and leads to a state of complete calm or, conversely, slightly excites - depending on what the person wants to achieve. It also helps the stress caused by overexcitation.

The correct method of breathing is only with the belly. It is in this case that the entire volume of the lungs is involved, and oxygen enters the the maximum number. Yogis advise learning from babies. If you watch how the baby breathes, it becomes obvious: his stomach literally goes up and down. Moreover, air always enters through the nose.

There are three types of breathing in total.

Type of breathAuthorities involvedPros and cons
Clavicular, or superiorOnly top part lungs, shoulders and chest are actively workingA small volume of the lungs is filled, while the body spends a lot of energy in vain.
Intercostal, or middleThe middle part of the lungs. The intercostal muscles are active.There is more oxygen, but still not enough.
Diaphragmatic, or lowerDiaphragm. The stomach “breathes”, while filling both the upper and lower regions of the lungs. Arching down, the diaphragm simultaneously produces a natural massage internal organs peritoneum.Most correct type. Delivers a large volume of air.

Real yogis use all three types at the same time, making the most of the strength and volume of the lungs. Moreover, one of the main conditions: actions occur automatically, without external control. Otherwise, a person spends energy on monitoring the work of his own respiratory system and, as a result, goes astray from the natural rhythm.

Relaxation, kneeling, detachment from outside world- important conditions for exercise. Breathing from stress will help you only if you can achieve maximum relaxation and forget about control.

Fiery (cleansing) breath

In the native language - "kapalabhati", or "cleansing of the skull." The classic sitting position (in Turkish, on your knees or in another comfortable posture), the back is straight. Eyes closed facial muscles relaxed. Index and thumb both hands are closed in a ring, and the rest are straightened and directed upwards, opening the palm.

We breathe through the nose, concentrating on the fullness and depth of the breath. Completing the exhalation, you need to sharply contract the abdominal muscles, blowing out the remaining air (a similar movement occurs when you blow your nose). This is followed by a long breath in which the muscles abdominal wall relax.

You should start with three sets of 10 reps, gradually increasing to 108 in one set. Rest for about half a minute between cycles. Contraindications - the formation of hernias in abdominal space, hypertension, problems of the cardiovascular system and lungs.

Complete yoga

It is considered the deepest and involves the entire volume of the lungs. Performing such an exercise daily, you will receive the necessary charge of life-giving energy and feel a significant improvement. general condition.

The initial position is the same as in the one described earlier, the only thing is that it is recommended to sit in Turkish, especially for those who have just begun to master the technique.

Yogi uses all three types of breathing at the same time - main secret exercises. To do this, first slowly exhale all the air, and then inhale, starting with the lower type of breathing. We move the stomach forward, filling the lower part of the lungs with oxygen. We expand the chest, performing the second type - air enters middle part our natural furs. We turn to clavicular breathing, connecting the collarbone and neck to the work, lifting the upper section of the ribs. At the same time, the shoulders should straighten a little (do not rise!) This is how the breath ends.

A full exhalation is carried out in the same order: the abdomen (diaphragm), middle ribs and chest, collarbones and neck. Breathing in this way, keep a sense of inner comfort and do not overstrain, otherwise you will not achieve the expected effect. Beginner yogis are recommended to carry out 3 cycles of complete breathing daily, gradually reaching up to 10-14 times.

Contraindications: any pulmonary pathological process, cardiovascular disease or hernia.

Chinese breathing exercises

The Chinese technique of correct breathing is based on deep Eastern wisdom people. By doing simple exercises on your own, you will not only get rid of the condition constant stress and gain inner harmony but also lose weight. In general, almost all breathing exercises help in the fight against excess weight, primarily because they normalize metabolism.

The well-known Chinese system is called "jianfei" and consists of a whole range of diverse exercises. But we will introduce you to the most effective and uncomplicated.

Wave

Oriental nutritionists advised using this exercise as a replacement for one of the meals and, best of all, dinner. However, this is not necessary, but it will still be of great benefit if you start performing on an empty stomach.

The most comfortable position is lying on your back. Relaxing, you need to lower your legs to the floor, resting your feet on the surface. Place one hand on your stomach, the other on your chest. Slowly pull in the stomach first, and then raise the chest, inhaling the air. You will get the necessary wave-like movement, which gave the name to the exercise. When exhaling, the chest retracts, and the stomach inflates.

It is recommended to perform about 40 such cycles. However, if during the session you feel nausea, dizziness, stop immediately. Watch the respiratory rhythm: it should not differ from the natural one, thereby causing discomfort.

Frog

According to Chinese practice, it is this exercise that most effectively restores nervous system restoring a sense of inner peace. With your feet hip-width apart, sit comfortably on a low chair. The lower leg and thigh form an almost right angle. Important condition: the head is disconnected from various thoughts and is focused only on the exercise.

Put your elbows on your knees. Girls clench into a fist left hand, guys - right. Brush free hand clasps the wrist of the one that is compressed. The forehead rests on the fist, the eyes are closed, the body is relaxed. The abdomen must be completely filled with air, while alternating inhalations and exhalations through the nose and mouth. Each time the breath is held for about 5 seconds.

Lead time is a quarter of an hour. If you feel dizzy or otherwise uncomfortable, change the pace of your inhalations and exhalations.

Lotus

This is a whole complex, consisting of three stages. The course is designed to achieve peace of mind, relieve fatigue, relieve the feeling of tension.

  1. We breathe evenly, deeply, using the diaphragm. Full concentration on one's own state, disconnection from external annoying sources. The duration of the stage is 5 minutes.
  2. We breathe easily, naturally. the main task- achieve inaudible, but at the same time deep and even breaths. Also 5 minutes.
  3. We breathe at our usual pace, without focusing on the process itself. We think of something pleasant, relaxing. Duration - 10 minutes.

The described 3 exercises form the basis of Chinese jianfei breathing exercises. They can be performed one after another (“wave”, “frog”, “lotus”), or separately, depending on the state of health and mood. Contraindications: hypertension, problems with the spine (see), the presence of stones in the bile ducts.

Breathing exercises of the ancient Slavs

Slavic breathing exercises for stress - effective remedy achieving mental balance. She helps deal with depressive states feel the flow vital energy improve mood and overall well-being. Understanding that a person draws strength not only from physical food, but also from spiritual, and, in particular, from the air entering the body, our ancestors gave essential correct system of inhalation and exhalation. Some exercises are given below.

Full breath

The essence is the same as in yoga: first the diaphragm works, filling the lower part of the lungs, then the ribs, sternum, collarbones, neck. Only between inhalations and exhalations is maintained a small pause, equal in time to the inhalation (or exhalation) itself. Air enters and leaves the body only through the nose.

Delay

Position - lying on the back. When inhaling, a person holds his breath, allowing vital energy to saturate all cells. Hold the air inside as long as you can tolerate, then exhale powerfully through your mouth and take a few full breaths, and then repeat the exercise while inhaling.

Contraindications: the same as in the techniques listed above.

Breathing exercises Strelnikova

This is the author's set of breathing exercises aimed not only at combating stress, but also at improving overall health. The developer of the technique is Alexandra Strelnikova, a famous opera singer, born in 1912. She loved her procession very much, giving herself to it with her whole soul, but because of bad health lost her voice early.

The disease would have broken the girl, but she turned out to be strong and decided to resist fate. Together with her mother, young Sasha came up with and implemented a set of breathing exercises that restored her ability to sing. Strelnikova died in the 80s of the last century, performing opera parts until the end of her life. She gave people not only excellent performances, but also a health system that is effective in diseases respiratory tract and their consequences (sinusitis, bronchitis, pneumonia).

The methodology is based on correct breathing and necessary physical activity causing the human body to increase its need for oxygen. A sharp, deep breath is the basis of the technique. It will not be possible to describe all the exercises, as they are closely interconnected and have a certain sequence. To understand the essence of Strelnikova's methodology, you need to familiarize yourself with her works.

As years of experience show different countries, peoples, researchers and authors, breathing exercises are an effective means of dealing with stressful situations. She restores correct work all functional systems, significantly improves well-being, helps to get rid of extra pounds. And most importantly, it does not require large physical expenditures and trips to gyms. All exercises can be done at home, no more than 15 minutes and get a positive charge that changes the mood in better side!

/ Breathing against stress

Chapter 5.4.2 Breath control.

(from the book "Stress and happiness - one letter")

If in the rhythm of breathing you fall

in time with the breath of nature,

then you will receive strength for a hundred years of life.

Shi Yu

Breathing is a unique human function with a number of important features.

Firstly, this is the second most important process of our body, after the work of the heart. A person can live without food for a month, without water - a week, without breathing - two or three minutes.

Secondly, breathing is, perhaps, the only vegetative function that is subject to the control of consciousness. Unlike the work of the stomach, liver or kidneys, we can control our breathing within certain limits, and through it influence the activity of other internal organs.

Thirdly, the rhythm of breathing is closely related to the state of the skeletal muscles, and its correct use allows you to quickly and fully master the skills of muscle relaxation.

Fourth, the ratio of inhalation to exhalation affects a person's mood. Remember how a sad person breathes? He takes a deep breath and a long exhalation (the so-called sigh). How does an athlete breathe before a fight? He takes a short, vigorous breath. Thus, our psychological condition affects the nature of breathing, but, on the other hand. by changing the nature of breathing, we can change in the right side your mood.

These facts explain why in all Eastern spiritual and bodily practices (from peaceful yoga to not at all peaceful karate), breathing exercises are necessarily included in the basic skills of both novice students and experienced masters.

In the second chapter, we gave initial exercise on anti-stress breathing, and now we will continue to improve this function further. There are two main ways of breathing: chest and abdominal - the first - due to the intercostal muscles, and the second - due to the contraction of the diaphragm. Abdominal breathing (belly) is considered more physiological, although it may not look so aesthetically pleasing. Nevertheless, abdominal breathing has a pronounced healing effect on the processes of digestion (increased intestinal peristalsis and activation of the pancreas and liver) and pulmonary ventilation (cleansing the lower lobes of the lungs from microbes). In addition, it is more effective at neutralizing stress, so it makes sense to master it better.

Exercise "Lower (diaphragmatic) breathing."

Starting position: standing, one palm on the chest, and the second on the stomach. Place one hand on your chest, the other on your stomach. Take a deep breath. Which hand moved first? Top or bottom? Usually an untrained person begins to breathe with the ribs, while with the right full breath the first movement should start the diaphragm (that is, the stomach).

Begin to breathe at an arbitrary pace, starting from the diaphragm. We breathe through the nose. The eyes are closed. First we breathe as usual, and then we try to start breathing movements from the stomach. Hold your breath a little after each exhalation. Inhalation is allowed to be done only when you really want to inhale. After five minutes, stop and analyze your feelings.

In order to better master this type of breathing, train the diaphragm before going to bed. To do this, put a heavy book on your stomach and breathe slowly for 3-5 minutes, making small pauses on the exhale. For people with a particularly strong will, you can use the thick volume of the Book of Tasty and Healthy Food, and for weak-willed people, a guide to internal diseases in 2 volumes. The book should rise and fall smoothly and rhythmically. Increase the weight of the book gradually as you master this exercise.

An exercise " Deep breathing with expiratory delay

Sit up straight and stand fairly steady. Take a slow deep breath for two counts.

(Inhalation should begin from the abdomen, where the first portion of air enters, and the abdomen protrudes slightly forward. Then the chest expands and rises. Thus, a wave-like movement from the bottom up is obtained).

Exhale slowly for five counts. (Exhalation is made in reverse order- first the stomach is drawn in, and then the chest is lowered).

Pause on exhalation - 4-6 counts, depending on your capabilities.

Thus, the breathing pattern during this exercise will look like this:

Inhale (2 sec) - Exhale (5 sec) - Pause (5 sec)

We repeat this 5-6 times.

Results of this exercise:

Physiological: additional oxygen saturation of the blood, the return of the heart rate to normal, the relaxation of muscles that were previously in a tense state.

Psychological: reduction of emotional stress, distraction from the source of stress, restoration of the ability to rational thinking.

When we are nervous, our breathing is confused, difficult, and a lump rolls up in the throat. To restore the balance of emotions - you need, first of all, to adjust breathing. Breathing exercises help not only restore concentration, but also relieve tension and fatigue in the body.

It will only take you 10-15 minutes to complete this simple complex exercises - but the performance will be restored, and the stress will be removed as if by hand. Breathing exercises from stress will help to calm down and get rid of fatigue anywhere and anytime.

Breathing anti-stress exercises

Breathing exercises for peace

Breathe in your belly. When you inhale, your belly should gently press on your hips and lift them up. As you exhale, your hips will drop down. Don't strain your legs. Let all movements be smooth and natural.

Breathing exercises after a hard day's work

Sit up straight in your chair. Close your eyes and focus on the base of the spine. Imagine that you are in a pool of very warm material, similar to volcanic lava. Inhale and exhale rhythmically, breathe with your belly and diaphragm. With each full breath, the “lava” rises higher, with exhalation it descends. Imagine how heat spreads through the body, around the abdomen, then rises along the stomach, along the lungs, to the throat, to the face, between the eyebrows, to the head, and finally forms something like "crowns" above your head - and then retreats back down. Repeat the exercise for several cycles.

Breathing exercises during times of great stress

If stress pulsates in the temples and takes your breath away, use this breathing technique. First, the breathing technique prescribes to take a breath on “one-two-three-four”, on “five-six-seven-eight” exhale, on “nine-ten” - pause.

After five such breaths, you need to start taking breaths for four counts and smooth exhalations for six counts, and a pause for one or two counts.

Emotion control and relaxation exercise

Lie on your back. Bend your knees and pull them towards your chest. Grab your shins with your hands, relax your shoulders and touch the floor with them. Lower your chin to your chest to lengthen your neck as much as possible. Relax and close your eyes. Breathe in your belly. Lie down like this for 10-15 minutes.

Exercise for quick relief

Take such a breath, in which, for starters, the stomach increases in volume, then Bottom part chest, then its top half. At the same time, arms slightly bent at the elbows rise above the head. Then the breath is held for about 5-10 seconds, while the hands remain at the top. Simultaneously with the beginning of exhalation, you need to sharply tilt your body forward, “dropping” your hands down and say “ha” with your mouth open.

Drop the negativity, do not muffle your feelings and emotions. Let them out with proper breathing.

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