Write Yourself a Prescription for Deep Breathing
by Alexandra Simpson
We all have our go-to’s at the end of a stressful day—a good book, a hot bath, a piece of chocolate cake, a strong martini, a three mile run. These tricks work to make us feel better. However, these temporary fixes don’t always help make us healthier. Our bodies may feel good after a run, but our mind might still be on the racetrack. Likewise, a good book might put us in some fairytale trance, but our bodies might still feel exhausted. The optimal solution to stress-related problems is to heal our whole selves: body, mind, and spirit. One natural way to help relieve stress and other more serious conditions, such as hypertension, is to focus on deep breathing.
Think about your breath as you read this. Quick, shallow breaths may indicate you are somewhat anxious or stressed. Most often, we don’t think about how we breathe, though it is a constant activity. Many of us breathe inefficiently; we breathe through our mouths, using our chests rather than our diaphragms. However, if you take breathing more seriously, you can become aware of the natural medical benefits of thoughtful breath. Pranayama is a breathing exercise used in yoga that promotes proper breathing; it most commonly translated as “the science of the breath.” You can transcend the physical and psychological challenges of stress and hypertension by integrating controlled, deep breathing into your daily routine.
Here is how the breath works: First, consider respiration. Respiration is one of the most important functions of the body; that should come as no surprise. Oxygen plays a key role in metabolism. Without it, bodies cannot efficiently burn food or generate energy. Thus, the rhythm and rate of breathing not only reflects one’s physical condition but will also help to create a better physical condition. Breathing is also a unique physiological function as it is both a voluntary and automatic act. By modifying one’s breathing, taking slower, deeper breaths one has an ability to help control the nervous system. Ultimately, breathing slowly can induce a state of calmness. By using your chest only when breathing, your breaths become shallow and rapid. Chest breathing doesn’t fully expand the lungs and leaves static air in parts of the lungs. Expanding only parts of the lungs increases the likelihood of poor blood circulation, which impairs the functioning of organs. The cardiovascular system is closely related to how efficiently one breathes. Essential hypertension (high blood pressure of unknown cause) has been shown to respond favorably to a daily regimen of diaphragmatic breathing. Other problems such as headaches and migraines will also benefit from deep breathing. Although breathing from your diaphragm is easy to do, the habit of doing it must be consciously cultivated before it can become automatic.
To make things easy for you, Saagara, a Digital Health Company designs applications that you can easily access through devices you already have; you can find these applications via Apple’s App Store, on the Android Market, or on this website. Based on one of the core principles of Yoga, Saagara’s Pranayama app takes you on a progressive journey as it focuses on slow, deep breathing and guides you with calming music and animated visuals. The regimen of deep breathing presented in Saagara’s application guides your breathing. The animation provided during the exercises shows you how to breathe using your diaphragm, and the music guides you through the breathing stages by having different tones for inhalation, exhalation, and retention; this breathing exercise will leave you feeling purified and strengthened. So, before you take the fork to the chocolate cake, or a walk around the neighborhood, take note of your breathing and download our application to build breath-awareness. You should quickly become relaxed and invigorated.
Check out our website for additional medical information! www.saagara.com
Alexandra Simpson lives in Ann Arbor, MI and works as an an editor/writer for Saagara. She uses the Pranayama app after seeing comma splices.
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