Follow this Guide for Breathing Meditation Techniques That Can Change Your Life

Follow this Guide for Breathing Meditation Techniques That Can Change Your Life
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The body, mind and spirit respond to meditation. Some of the main benefits are seen immediately, while others take a time of regular meditation to be fully realized. Follow the gentle, side effect free steps in this guide for breathing meditation techniques.

Physical Benefits of Meditation

  • Reduces the heart rate. Regular sessions of meditation are beneficial for people suffering from high blood pressure.

  • Lowers the levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, in the body. This can release you from the some of the effects negative stress can cause throughout the body.

  • Allows the body to heal itself by increasing airflow through the lungs.

  • Helpful in treating, and curing, headaches

Emotional Benefits of Meditation

  • Enhances creativity and intuition

  • Improves memory and learning ability

  • Helpful in getting rid of bad habits such as smoking, alcohol addiction

  • Reduces depression, irritability and anxiety

Breathing Meditation Techniques

Meditation is very easy to learn. Five minutes and a quiet area is all it takes to begin. This guide for breathing meditation techniques can be assimilated into even the busiest schedule.

You can meditate wherever you are. Lying down or seated in a chair. Either way it is important to take time to relax your body fully. Lying flat on the floor is a good way for beginners to achieve this. Drop your lay your arms on the floor with the palms facing up. Let your legs and feet fall to the outside. It often helps if you move your head and limbs slowly, even systematically contracting the muscles and releasing the tension until they find a natural relaxation point. If you cannot get to the floor, or if that is uncomfortable for you, seated mediation is perfectly fine. Simply allow your arms to fall naturally and release all the tension in your body

Upon closing your eyes, it is common for thoughts to start racing through your mind. Problems that you have to deal with, chores and errands will have to be told to wait. Reassure yourself that it will all be handled in time and focus on your breathing.

Consciously slow your breathing down by taking deeper breaths and focusing on the movement of the air through your nostrils into your lungs and back out through your lips. Place your hand on your abdomen and feel the gentle rise and fall.

Next, allow the breaths that you take to only go in and out your nostrils. Take deep breaths, holding the inhalation for eight counts before releasing to a count of eight as well. This gives your mind something to focus on, and offers a big boost of oxygen to all the systems of your body.

Remain in this state of restful observation as long as you like. Five minutes is long enough to receive substantial benefits. The mental clarity you receive from a daily practice of meditation, will more than make up for the perceived loss of time

Advanced Breathing Meditation Techniques

Breath Counting

Breath counting is another meditation breathing technique that you could explore. This is a seated exercise. Simply sit with your spine straight and your head tilted gently forward.

  • Relax your body
  • Close your eyes and take slow, deep breaths through your nostrils.
  • Count the exhales, one, two, three, four, five, then start again.

This is a deceptively simple Zen technique and will leave you with more energy and mental clarity in just a few minutes.

Diaphragm Breathing

Diaphragm breathing can lead to an improved blood flow and movement of lymph throughout your body. This can help prevent infection and improve overall stamina.

The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped muscle located at the base of the lungs. Using the diaphragm to move air is a technique that often needs to be practiced. Shallow breathing is a side effect of a stressed life, while consciously switching to diaphragm breathing can release tension quickly.

  • Lie or sit in a comfortable position
  • Place one hand on your upper chest
  • Place the other hand just below your rib cage
  • Breathe in slowly through your nose, allowing your stomach to move out against your hand.
  • The hand on your chest should remain perfectly still

Strengthening your diaphragm with this method may require increased effort. It may even make you tired at first. Knowing how to use your diaphragm to breathe will get easier though and can deepen your meditation as you do this automatically.

Stimulating Breath

This breathing technique is useful when you need to raise your energy level. Stimulating breath is also a good way to transition from an extremely meditative state to one that is ready for the day.

  • Using short breaths, inhale and exhale rapidly though your nose
  • Expect to make noise with this exercise which is also known as bellow breathing

References

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