We don’t say “Breath of Life” for nothing. Breathing is the very essence of our lives, flowing within us in the form of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Therefore, mastering breath support exercises arm you with a tool that fuels not just your physical, but also your emotional and mental well-being.
Your breath bridges your mind and body, producing a crucial rhythm. Yet many of us take this for granted because it happens without much thought. Proper breathing maintains oxygen flow in the body and wipes out your foggy mind. However, improper breathing leads to serious issues like fatigue, panic attacks, anxiety, and other emotional disturbances. Today, we will explore the absolute benefits of breath support exercises, a step-by-step guide to breath support exercises, and the role of breath support devices like bobi – a breathing support device designed to regulate your breathing patterns, enhance overall health, and reduce stress.
Before going into the nitty gritty of mastering breath support exercises, it is important to understand breath support and how it affects our overall health. Let’s get into that first.
Having a deep knowledge of the importance of breath support makes sure you excel in your performance in activities like speaking in public or playing sports. A good breathing habit is the bedrock for boosting your overall happiness, health, and performance. Techniques like diaphragmatic breathing (also known as belly or abdominal breathing) are part of the domain of breath support.
Dr. Michael Yessis, an American Sports Trainer, said, Breathing correctly is the key to better fitness, muscle strength, stamina, and athletic endurance.
It calls attention to an often neglected point of health and fitness: proper breathing. With proper breathing techniques, you will not just enjoy secondary benefits, which are the cornerstone to achieving the best performance and excellent health. Learning to channel your breath’s power means you have the key to overcome mental adversity by using the best known technique for emotional control – slow breathing.
Do breath support exercises have the potential to affect my health? The answer is a profound “Yes”. Incorporating effective breath support in your daily routine plays a critical role in reducing stress. In this fast modern world, stress is an inevitable part of our lives that impacts us in many ways. When you’re stressed, you become vulnerable to a plethora of issues like heart disease, hypertension, and anxiety disorders. In such chaos, breath support techniques are like a natural antidote to alleviate stress and foster a sense of relaxation and quiet.
Moreover, breath support exercises help improve physical health by regulating blood pressure. By lowering blood pressure, you reduce your risk of heart-related issues.
Understanding the core principles is necessary if you want to harness the full promise of breath support exercises.
The main pillar in this process is the role of the diaphragm, the chief muscle of breathing. When you inhale, the diaphragm contracts and flattens and the chest cavity enlarges. This contraction creates a vacuum, which pulls air into the lungs. When you do effective breath support exercises, it helps strengthen your diaphragm, which empowers it to perform this action perfectly. This way, you boost your respiratory capacity and train your body to deliver oxygen to muscles and organs more efficiently.
Another core and fundamental facet of breath support exercises is synchronizing breath and movement. It is mostly found in practices like Pilates and Yoga. Timing is not solely the factor of this synchronization; rather, it is all about generating a harmonious flow between your breath and physical movements. When a person coordinates their breath with movement, they enhance balance and stability, improve bodily awareness, and develop a deep connection between mind and body. Simply put, this principle entertains a contemplative state, as it advocates focusing on the present moment, inducing an absolute sense of calm and well-being. Additionally, combining breath with movement boosts the effectiveness of exercises by enabling them to build strength, tolerance, and flexibility.
These core principles make breath support exercises a powerful tool to improve your health, upgrade physical performance, and promote a sense of mental clarity.
This quest to master breath support exercises will improve your respiratory function and overall health. In this domain, two basic techniques are Diaphragmatic (Abdominal) Breathing and Pursed Lip Breathing. Let’s get into this step-by-step guide to practice these techniques efficiently.
The base of breath support is diaphragmatic breathing. This breathing technique fosters a keen sense of relaxation and is proven to reduce stress and anxiety. Here’s how to do it properly:
Tip: To enjoy its benefits, it is recommended to do this exercise 3-4 times a day for 5-10 minutes.
Pursed lip breathing is an easy yet powerful technique to regulate shortness of breath and enjoy enhanced breathing. Studies have shown that this technique is especially good for those who have obstructive lung diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, which results in dyspnea. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
When we discuss mastering breath support exercises, specific devices to support the practice may play an instrumental role. There are a variety of devices now currently available on the commercial market. Importantly, a recent comprehensive study examined breathing support devices available since 1980. A summary of the research stated:
Breathing guidance and feedback were provided using audio, tactile (vibrations), and visual (light) stimuli. Most users preferred the tactile feedback, even more in combination with synchronized audio. In addition, different intensities of tactile stimulation were preferred by different people. This means that allowing the personalization of stimuli can be a valuable asset. The visual stimulus was rated less important, probably owing to the tendency of users to close their eyes while breathing.
Finally, in an evaluation study, researchers stated that, because breathing exercises require mental effort, which in turn might lead to new stress, the cognitive load should be lowered and relaxation should be increased. The tactile interface found most potential in inducing relaxation, on the basis of higher user satisfaction ratings.
Therefore, the researchers hypothesized presenting breathing guidance using a tactile device (a hand-sized airbag) would be the most effective way to guide breathing practice.
bobi is a unique, innovative tool to improve breath support through guided exercises. It fully meets the criteria for a preferred breathing device as articulated in the research identified above. Importantly, bobi is accompanied by a breathing protocal, known as the G.E.N 365 Method, which supports users in their breathing practice journey. This method motivates users to go for gentle, even, and nasal breathing exercises.
It makes bobi a must-have tool, fostering relaxation and alleviating stress without needing electronic charging. All these features make bobi accessible for you regardless of location.
To leverage the power of bobi for breath support exercises, here’s a detailed step-by-step guide for you:
Like any other journey, mastering breath support exercises is challenging. Shortness of breath and hitting plateaus in practice are two common problems that many people encounter. Therefore, having a thorough knowledge of these hurdles and information on how to deal with them will make all the difference in your journey.
A common issue that occurs is shortness of breath. However, when you engage in the consistent practice of breath support exercises this issue is readily resolved. The ‘pro tip’ is to begin slowly, concentrating on techniques like pursed lips and diaphragmatic breathing. The consistent incorporation of these exercises trains your body to use your diaphragm more effectively. Consequently, this enhances the efficiency of your breathing and boosts lung capacity. Incorporating these practices into your daily routine, even out of exercise sessions, will fortify your respiratory capability and lessen the occurrences of breathlessness over time.
What’s hitting a plateau? Hitting a plateau is an indication that your body is adjusting to its recent routine, and continuous progress requires a change. However, the key is to stay determined and patient when your progress has stalled. For this, try integrating little alterations to your exercises or introducing new techniques that will revive the era of improvements again. Moreover, when you incorporate breath support exercises, they bring in essential changes and hurdles that proceed with your practice. Remember that mastering the plateau is an important point of the learning curve, as it indicates that you’re going ahead in your journey.
Mastering breath support exercises is like paving your way to a healthier and more energetic life. Dedication to consistent practice can improve your breathing patterns, enhance your health, and enjoy a more profound sense of peace and balance in your life. But arming yourself with a perfect tool like bobi will help you manage your issues effectively in the long run.
As Dr. Belisa Vranich, a well-known breathwork expert noted: “Breathing well is a daily practice and a lifelong journey”.
You can improve your breath support by using effective diaphragmatic breathing techniques to build up the diaphragm. Moreover, use breath control exercises like pursed lip breathing to improve your oxygen interchange and breathing exercises in your daily routine. In addition, when you invest in devices like bobi, that are designed to regulate your breathing patterns through tactile feedback, it can support your breathing practice.
When you have good breath support, you feel slow, trouble-free breathing. This feeling is backed by your diaphragm as it moves freely, and your lungs fill up adeptly without any tension. Consequently, you experience a sense of relaxation and peace because there’s an abundant exchange of oxygen in your body, resulting in enhanced mental and physical condition.
Yes, breath support exercises are central to improving both singing and speaking voice. By engaging in such exercises, you strengthen your respiratory muscles and foster an effective flow of air. These exercises can also refine your vocal control, tolerance, and power. Unlike disturbed breathing, good breath support gives you a clearer, more vibrant, and more stable voice that both speakers and professional vocalists always look up to.
Mr. Damien Thomas completed his Master in Organisational Psychology at Macquarie University, Sydney. He has over 20 years’ experience as a psychologist and has specialised in the field of adolescent psychology. Damien also worked within the field of national security, including counter terrorism operations, and war crimes investigations. Through his previous work he has featured in numerous international media publications including: The Australian, The Globe and Mail, New York Times, and BBC (radio).
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