1. Take a deep breath as you drop your chin toward your chest, touching the chest if possible. Exhale as you gently raise your head slowly to an upright position. Repeat as desired. It may also be helpful to do some “head rolls,” in which the head is rolled slowly to the right, to the chest, to the left, and to the chest in a semicircle.
2. Take a deep breath as you stretch your arms over your head. Hold your breath and the stretch for a few seconds, and then release both slowly.
3. Take a deep breath as you stretch your arms out in front of you. Hold your breath and the stretch for a few seconds, and then release both slowly.
Take a deep breath as you stretch your arms behind you. Hold your breath and the stretch for a few seconds, and then release both slowly. Repeat 10 times several times a day.
Relief Breathing with imagery
1. Vividly imagine having to carry a heavy sack of groceries a lot farther than you had expected. Feel the weight, the sweat, the ache in your arms and shoulders, whatever that experience is for you. How strongly can you imagine, feel, see that?
2. Now imagine finally arriving at the table or counter or chair where you can finally set down that burden. Breathe your first breath of relief as that wonderful easing happens.
3. Now breathe your next breath as if it were that first deep sigh of relief from when you were finally setting down that burden.
4. Each next breath, when you get around to it (this should be a luxuriously slow process of breathing), make that your first great sigh of relief as you set down that burden at last. Make each next breath that first great sigh of relief... (Continue for several minutes, s-l-o-w-l-y.)
It’s as easy as that! Compare how you're feeling now. Better than when you started? Breath is regulated by, and provides a bridge to, your autonomic nervous system. By breathing in a focused-relief pattern for several minutes, you signal your nervous system to relieve you of anything bothering you. This is a great little tactic to use when you find yourself below par or being bothered by something.
Not only do you breathe in characteristic ways in response to what's going on or how you feel, but you can breathe deliberately in such patterns. This causes the autonomic nervous system to make your state-of-being congruent with that pattern of breathing!
Exercise To Do Before Sleep
Thinking about stressful situations before going to sleep can trigger the stress response, which is the exact opposite of what the body requires in order to wind down and go to sleep. A breathing exercise can help people turn their attention from their racing thoughts to their hard-working body’s need for sleep. The following breathing exercise may be done with soft music, nature sounds (e.g., ocean waves) or a relaxation tape playing in the background.
Each step of this exercise can be done while lying in bed. The steps are as follows:
1.Close your eyes and take three deep, cleansing breaths. Focus on inhaling clean air and exhaling stale air.
2.Continuing to breathe deeply, spend a few moments focusing your attention on your toes. You will have fully focused your attention on this part of your body when you can mentally visualize the position of each toe. This, in itself, can be quite relaxing as attention shifts from the mind to the body.
3.Breathe fresh air into the toes, fingertips, scalp and every other part of the body. Exhale stale air from all of those locations, feeling warm and cleansed.
If attention wanders, go back to the second step, re-focusing on the toes before beginning the process again. If necessary, keep your attention on the toes, skipping the third step of the exercise entirely. Different strategies will be more helpful for different people. It may take some time to find a strategy that works best for you..
Exercise For Depression And Energy
This exercise lets you to get rid of your depression and feel energized.
1. Sit on a chair with your back straight and feet flat on the floor.
2. Reach straight up with both hands.
3. Inhale deeply. Hold your breath and while holding your breath, squeeze your fists so that the muscles in your arms tighten.
4. Exhale slowly. Keeping your arms tense, lower your fists to your chest, as if you're pulling down on rubber bands.
5. Repeat steps 2 and 3 a few times.
6. On the final repetition, cross your arms over your chest. Rest your fingers on the upper outside spots of your chest, with your wrists crossed in the middle.
7. Drop your chin to your chest.
8. Inhale four short breaths without exhaling.
9. Hold your breath.
10. Exhale slowly through your mouth.
Repeat steps 8-10 for a few minutes, concentrating on the rhythm of your breath.
Disclaimer: The breathing improvement techniques outlined above are extremely gentle, and should, if carried out as described, be beneficial to your overall physical and psychological health. If you have any serious medical or psychological problem, however--such as heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, mental illness, or recent abdominal or chest surgery--you should consult your health professional before undertaking these practices.
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