Abdominal Breathing

The natural way of breathing that all humans are born with is called Abdominal Breathing. Most people loose this breathing pattern in early childhood. It is being replaced by a superficial chest breathing that creates stress and does not provide us with enough oxygen. This exercise is designed to re-educate our body in order to re-establish the original breathing pattern. A deep and complete breathing is essential for health and life quality. It also reduces anxiety and improves our sleep.

Transcript

Hi,

I am Jan Moller and welcome to this relaxation exercise called Abdominal Breathing.

In the beginning,

This exercise is easier to practice laying down,

But you can also do it sitting or standing up.

Find a comfortable position without crossing your arms or legs.

Loosen your belt and any tight fitting clothing.

Now place one hand on your abdomen just below the navel and one on your chest.

If you are sitting or standing,

Remember to relax your shoulders.

The main idea in this exercise is that you should breathe in such a way that your belly moves a little outwards as if it is being filled with air with each in-breath.

Pay attention to your hands and breathe in a way so that only the hand on your belly moves.

The chest should not move at all.

Try to relax as much as you can in your stomach and abdomen.

Feel that you are somehow releasing or letting go of any pressure or tension you feel in that area of your body.

I will soon ask you to slowly breathe three times in a row in a calm way while trying to expand your abdomen just a little,

Using the air of the in-breath,

Not the abdominal muscles.

It might be helpful to imagine that you are filling your stomach with air.

While you do that,

Notice if your hand on your stomach moves and also if the hand on the chest moves or not.

You may need to breathe very lightly to begin with so that your chest does not move.

Relax your shoulders.

For the next three minutes,

Continue this way of breathing three times in a row with a short break after each third breath.

If your chest moves,

It is because you are breathing in too hard.

And just soften your breath.

Feel the tension in your stomach.

You You You You You Very good.

You can end the abdominal breathing now.

Remember that at first it might be difficult not to move your chest.

But with a little patience and practice,

You will eventually master it.

If you want to end the exercise now,

You can slowly open your eyes and stretch.

If you want to relax a bit more,

Just continue listening to the music that will last about three more minutes.

At the end,

You will hear the gong.

You You You You You You

Reviews

It feels different to breathe that way. Thank you 🤍

I like that he explains how to belly breathe. Thank you 🙏

Super relaxing

Good guidance on belly breathing. With Very minimal talking, it was good to exercise my ability to guide myself. Very nice! Thank you 🙏.

Great for beginners!