Brilliant eyes, muscle tone, even skin tone, warm hands – deep breathing literally fills us with life. And three simple exercises will help you learn how to breathe correctly.
Deep breathing is hindered by chronic muscle tension. “It appears as a consequence of unresolved emotional conflicts,” writes psychotherapist Alexander Lowen (1). The exercises proposed by him help not only to restore the ability to breathe deeply, but to release unexpressed feelings and truly relax.
1. Pulling on a stool
Goal: take a deep breath, relax (especially in the shoulder area), stop slouching.
Lowen calls the backbend the most effective form of stretching. There was a stool in his bedroom, on which he lay down every morning before breakfast for a couple of minutes.
The exercise is performed on a rolled up blanket, which lies on a stool about 60 centimeters high. The stool must be installed in front of the bed – so that the head and arms hang over it when pulled out.
The legs are confidently on the floor, the feet are parallel to each other at a distance of about 30 centimeters, the pelvis is in limbo. The folded blanket is under the shoulder blades, but its position can be varied to mobilize different back muscle groups. Hands are thrown back up and touch the bed, or hang over it.
Breathe in through your mouth as deeply as possible. In this not very comfortable position, there is a great temptation to hold your breath, as many people are used to doing in stressful situations. If you relax, then breathing will become deep and full (more abdominal and greater amplitude).
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- Feel the rhythm of the breath
2. Tilt forward
Goal: relax (especially in the abdomen) and stimulate deep abdominal breathing.
You need to bend forward so that the tips of your fingers touch the floor. Feet 30 cm wide, toes pointing slightly inward, knees slightly bent. The weight of the body is distributed between the heels and toes. The head hangs down as freely as possible.
Open your mouth and let your breath flow easily and freely. The delay will negate the whole point of the exercise. Deep breathing in this position causes a vibration in the body, which can gradually build up.
3. Hitting the bed
Goal: express negative emotions imprinted in the body without directing them to anyone, and therefore without feeling guilty, relax (especially in the upper body), make breathing deeper.
The exercise releases repressed feelings and is therefore beneficial to all. Lowen himself performed it whenever he felt tension in his body or anger.
Lying on your back, bend your legs. Feet parallel to each other. Hands along the body, hands clenched into fists. Raise your arms up and down with force, hitting the bed. At the same time, it’s good to shout “no”, “I won’t!”, “Get off me!” or something like that. Make sure your voice is persuasive and your movements are full of emotion.
Repeat rhythmic blows on the bed at least 50 times, simultaneously with both hands or alternating them.
If you do the exercise with full dedication, then it leaves a feeling of satisfaction and relaxation.
1. A. Lowen “Pleasure. Creative approach to life” (Psychotherapy, 2011).