Hi,
I'm Caroline and this week we will be exploring a breathing technique that isn't specifically used in yoga,
But it can be helpful for people to soothe a variety of symptoms from COPD,
Fatigue,
Anxiety,
And even restlessness.
It's called pursed lip breathing and it's one of the simplest ways to help control feelings of shortness of breath.
It's a technique that helps to expand the airways because the exhalation has increased resistance through the pursed lips and therefore oxygen is held in the lungs for a longer period of time.
The slow exhalation also helps to expel the breath more completely and totally and therefore aids in strengthening of both the diaphragm and your abdominal muscles.
It's a great technique to practice for people who are,
As I mentioned,
Out of breath from COPD or anxiety and can also be effective in treating hyperventilation or fatigue.
The breathing should be calm and mindful while you practice,
Which can also help to aid in relaxation.
Even if you don't have any of these symptoms,
This can be a nice breathing exercise to give yourself a brief pause in your day and can also even be helpful when doing stressful activities such as climbing stairs,
Bending,
Or lifting as well.
To help you visualize how this breathing method should be practiced,
Pretend that as you're breathing you're inhaling,
Trying to smell the flowers,
And as you exhale you're trying to blow out candles.
So how to practice pursed lip breathing.
I'll give a general overview and then I'll guide you through a pursed lip breathing practice and then we'll finish.
So how to practice.
We'll do a test run here.
Gently close your lips and inhale through your nose,
A long slow breath in through both nostrils as if you're smelling a flower.
Exhale through lightly pursed lips as if you're trying to blow out a candle.
And that's it.
As you breathe,
Your breath should be relaxed and unhurried and as we practice we'll keep repeating this.
Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through pursed lips.
So as I guide through practice,
The rhythm that we're going to do is going to be 1 to 2.
So that means for every 1 count we inhale through the nose,
We're going to exhale for 2 counts through the lips.
It will always be double.
So I'll first cue by inhaling 2 and exhaling for 4.
Then we'll move inhaling to 3,
Exhaling to 6.
Then inhaling for 4 and exhaling for 8.
And then I will leave you free to practice for about another minute where you can continue any one of these rhythms or even expand.
So to guide in this practice,
We'll first come to a comfortable sitting,
Standing or lying position.
Find a place where you feel comfortable right now and can breathe without excessive resistance.
Allow your hands to relax wherever they feel comfortable.
And as we practice,
Option here to close your eyes if you feel okay doing so or you can also leave them open.
It's up to you.
So go ahead and start just breathing naturally in and out of your nose.
And as I cue through each practice,
We will take this rhythm for about a minute each time before I cue to the next rhythm and then leave you free to practice for about a minute.
So when you're ready,
We'll begin,
Exhale all the breath out and then we'll inhale for 1,
2 and exhale through lips for 1,
2,
3,
4.
Inhale 1,
2.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4.
Inhale 1,
2.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4.
Inhale 2,
Exhale 4.
Inhale 2,
Exhale 4.
Inhale 3,
Exhale 4.
Inhale 4,
Exhale 4.
Inhale 5,
Exhale 6.
Next we'll inhale for 3 and exhale for 6.
So inhale 1,
2,
3.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhale 1,
2,
3.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6.
Inhale 3,
Exhale 6.
Inhale 3,
Exhale 6.
Inhale exhale.
Exhale.
Next we'll increase inhaling for 4 and exhaling for 8.
So when you're ready,
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Inhale 4,
Exhale 4,
8.
Inhale 4,
Exhale 4,
8.
Inhale,
Exhale.
Inhale,
Exhale.
Inhale,
Exhale.
Exhale,
Exhale.
Feel free to continue this rhythm or find your own rhythm and practice for about one minute.
X13 you Slowly finish your current round of breath.
Take a pause,
Breathe in and out through your nose for a few deep breaths.
Returning to your natural pace of breathing.
Just notice how these breaths feel after our pursed lip breathing practice.
Take a final deep breath in through your nose.
Open your mouth completely and sigh it out.
If your eyes are closed,
Gently blink them open and enjoy the rest of your day.
