How Deep Breathing Can Transform Your Mental and Physical Health
Do you feel physically and mentally drained? Is stress weighing you down? Whether your pain is in your mind or in your body, it can be extremely debilitating.
The good news is the answer is right under your nose (literally). Deep breathing is the body’s natural healing mechanism. And although breathing is something we do without thinking, we all have the ability to control our breath. By following deep breathing exercises, we can transform our mental and physical health.
The Power of the Breath
When we hold our breath, particularly in a stretch or exercise, it sends a message to our brain that whatever we are doing is unsafe. This activates the sympathetic nervous system’s fight or flight reaction. In an attempt to stop the movement, the brain sends signals to your muscles to tighten up. While this tension is necessary at times, it can also result in injury.
Deep breathing, on the other hand, sends a message to the brain to calm down and relax. The brain then relays that message to the body, activating the parasympathetic nervous system. This produces a calming physiological effect.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “during stressful moments, conscious breathing allows you to shift and release negative energy instead of storing it in your body. This is significant because stored-up energy often manifests as muscle tension and other physical ailments.”
The Health Benefits of Deep Breathing
1. Releases toxins from the body
One of the main functions of breathing is to detoxify the body. When you exhale, you get rid of carbon dioxide.
In doing this, we are pumping more oxygen into our lungs and bloodstream. Oxygen helps your body absorb vitamins and minerals, and increase the amount of white blood cells, which strengthens our immune system.
2. Lifts mood
As it turns out, there’s some truth to the age-old advice, “just breathe.” The simple act of inhaling and exhaling deeply takes you out of a stressful state. When you breathe deeply, endorphins are released throughout your body, which naturally boosts your mood.
3. Reduces pain
While it’s instinctual to hold our breath when we feel pain, it’s doing more harm than good. Endorphins can only be released during deep breathing, and those feel-good hormones are what help alleviate the pain.
Learning how relax into a stretch or a new range of motion will signal to your brain that it is safe. This will enable the muscles to naturally lengthen. This is why in yoga you are instructed to take a deep breath and as you slowly exhale, you can push deeper into your stretch.
4. Boosts energy, strength and endurance
Deep breathing oxygenates the blood and helps regenerate our cells. The more oxygen you have, the more blood flows to your muscles to boost your energy, strength and endurance.
5. Improves your focus
If you’re looking for greater mental clarity, sometimes all you need to do is take a deep breath. This will bring your mind and body into balance, and help you see things from a new perspective.
Now, let’s give it a try. Close your eyes and take a deep cleansing breath. As you inhale and exhale deeply, focus your attention entirely on your breath. Do this as many times as you need to quiet your mind and feel relaxed.
For specific tips and techniques, try these breathing exercises from the Chopra Center.