A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. We often take it for granted, but breathing is not only an essential part of our lives in terms of biology, but it can also unlock other keys to increasing our qualities of life. The following contributed post is entitled, 6 Benefits of Mindful Breathing.
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Isn’t it funny how we need to breathe to survive, but breathing is something we do without thinking and often forget the importance of it? It’s crazy that it can take something like a global pandemic and having to wear masks to make us appreciate being able to breathe in the wonderful fresh air.
If you’re not sure how to practice mindful breathing, then you can seek out guides to help you online, or if you’re really serious about getting it right, then check out this app from obVus Solutions, which visually displays your breath so that you can see when you’re breathing correctly using your diaphragm.
Meditation practitioners have known the benefits of mindful breathing for thousands of years, so there must be some truth to it, and there must be some profound benefits, but what are they?
It reduces stress and anxiety
We all know how it feels when you need to take deep breaths on a stressful day, well this is because mindful breathing activates your body’s “rest and digest” system and once this is activated, your heart rate and blood pressure lowers, which helps to reduce anxiety. It can also help to balance your emotions, and decrease the hyperactivity in your brain.
It helps to reduce exhaustion
With the busy lives people lead these days, it’s common to feel exhaustion. However according to a study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, mindful breathing reduced burnout, cynicism, emotional exhaustion, and anxiety.
It provides pain relief
Research has found that mindfulness meditation can be effective in reducing the level of pain intensity. The study, published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences said there should be further researched as an alternative to opioids in people with chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia, migraines, and lower back pain.
It helps your to feel more positive
Mindful breathing can help you to feel happier and more positive as is can reduce repetitive negative thoughts that people with depression often struggle with. According to the journal of Cognition and Emotion, manipulating the breath can account for as much as a 40 percent change in feelings of anger, fear, joy, and sadness.
It can aid in weight Loss
Practicing breathing exercises increase your leptin levels, which is a hormone produced by fat tissue that signals the brain to inhibit hunger. If you’re looking to lose weight then it’s certainly cheaper and safer than trying weight loss pills or any quick fixes. What do you have to lose (apart from weight) by trying some mindful breathing each day?
It can help you to live a longer life.
Practicing something like meditation or yoga has been shown to increase metabolism and suppress genetic pathways linked with inflammation. Chronic inflammation has been associated with deadly diseases as Alzheimer’s, depression, cancer, and heart disease, so if there’s anything you can do to decrease your chances of suffering from one of these, then it’s well worth doing. Who knew that better breathing could change your life? In fact, mindful breathing could even save your life.