Breath has always been one of the most fundamental aspects of spiritual practices. After all, it is one of the first ways to sustain the process of life (called prana).
Merely by controlling the way you breathe or breathing in certain ways, you can unlock the infinite potential and energy hidden deep inside you.
But, why breathing?
That’s because when you breathe, there is a fundamental exchange of energy taking place between you and nature.
By practicing certain breathing exercises, you can extract vital life force energy from the air and it’s this energy that does all the magic.
Powerful Breathing Techniques
Since ancient times, yogis, sages, monks, and gurus have all understood the basic nature of reality.
They had this understanding that everything in the universe is simply energy.
As a living being, you can influence the type of energy you accumulate and how it affects the various energy centers (called chakras) in the body with just your breathwork.
Some yogis and monks have even demonstrated that they can sustain their life only on air. All of this is only possible through special breathwork, a focused mind, and years of practice.
If you want to boost your energy, productivity, and vitality, you can also make use of the various breathing exercises that are available for this purpose. Let’s take a look at some of them.
1-Minute Breathing Exercise
Sometimes, you might be in a hurry but need a quick recovery for your mind.
One breathing exercise that can be done in a minute includes the following steps:
1. Sit down comfortably with your legs crossed or stand in an erect posture.
2. Slowly, close your eyes but be aware of your body.
3. Take a deep breath in. Let it fill your lungs and abdomen fully. Do it slowly and mindfully, focusing on how this air enters through your nose and circulates inside your body.
4. Hold your breath by around 2 seconds. Keep your eyes closed and feel the slight tension created in your torso.
5. Now, breath out and feel the relaxation spread from your head to your toes. You should exhale mindfully and notice how the air leaves your body.
6. Repeat this cycle for a minute and when you’re done, open your eyes.
3-Minute Breathing Exercise (the 5–10 Breathing Technique)
Three-minute breathing exercises provide more relaxation and energy. It is better to do these over the 1-minute ones, but it depends on your needs at any given moment of time.
Let’s take a look at a 3-minute exercise that will help you destress and rectify your bad breathing habits:
1. Start by sitting down on a comfortable surface with your spine elongated.
2. Interlock your fingers and place them gently on your stomach.
3. Now, close your eyes and mouth and get ready to breathe.
4. Take a deep breath through your nose and feel your belly expand with it. Notice how your hands move away from your stomach as it gets bigger.
5. Gently exhale through your nose and notice how your hands move closer to you as your stomach contracts.
6. Repeat this cycle for 3 times, each time inhaling for 5 seconds and then exhaling for 10 seconds.
7. When you’re done, open your eyes and feel the energy surge in your body.
5-Minute Breathing Exercise (the 4–7–8 Breathing Technique)
This is a longer form of breathing exercise and so, it’s a good idea if you can take some time out for it. Make sure that you are in a peaceful environment and that you can focus on your breath the entire time.
Next, you can simply follow these steps:
1. You can sit down in a cross-legged posture or even lie down on your bed to begin.
2. Close your mouth and start breathing normally for a few seconds. Just notice how your breath enters your nostrils and leaves through the same way.
3. Now, take a deep slow breath through your nose for four seconds. You might need some practice to get the timing right.
4. Then, hold your breath for seven seconds. Again, you might need some practice to get used to this.
5. Next, exhale through your mouth for eight seconds.
6. Repeat this cycle for 5 minutes. If you need rest, you can breathe normally in between cycles.
7. When you’re done, open your eyes. You should be feeling much calmer than before.
Most people don’t realize that they have this huge reservoir of fiery strength and superhuman power inside them at all times.
What’s wonderful is that you can take conscious control of this power, just by bringing in some consciousness to your breathing. This can supercharge your strength, vitality, lifeforce, health, energy, or almost anything else about you.
Begin with the 1-minute breathing exercise and start witnessing how your superhuman power unfolded.
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