The basis of our life is breathing, which is so natural that we do not notice it.

However, when we are stressed physically or mentally, our breathing increases. We not only notice it, but also experience discomfort due to shortness of breath or lack of air if we are in a closed, stuffy room.

What do we know about proper breathing - the basis of life - health and longevity? We know that we need oxygen, that we need to breathe through our nose, because the air in the nose warms up and is cleared of dust and germs. We know that we need to be outdoors more often, to ventilate the rooms where we are.

But few people know that not only health, but also our youth and longevity depend on proper breathing.

What is the correct breathing?

Modern medicine claims that deep breathing is better than shallow breathing, since more oxygen enters the body, blood circulation improves, and therefore cell nutrition. And with shallow breathing, small alveoli (air cells of the lungs) do not participate in breathing. “Dirty” air, saturated with metabolic products, stagnates in them, which negatively affects the functions of the lungs and disrupts metabolic processes in the body.

Ancient Chinese medicine and Taoist teachings adhered to the same point of view - breathing should be deep, but very slow, like that of a baby (abdominal). Most of us, with the exception of singers, as we grow up forget this natural way of breathing and breathe shallowly through our chests.

In the modern frantic pace of life, we are constantly under tension, worrying about little things, and our capillaries are compressed. This causes problems with blood delivery and the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Internal (cellular) respiration is disrupted, which leads to illness.

While we are young and active, the vital force of breathing is sufficient. But after 50-60 years, the result of improper breathing is high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, liver diseases, etc.

How to learn to breathe correctly

Choosing a method or technique for proper breathing

There are many methods. You need to choose them depending on your needs and the presence of certain diseases.

I will share my experience of choosing and performing breathing movements. I have high blood pressure, depending on my age, and I also have other vascular symptoms: dizziness, ringing in the ears, etc.

First of all, I got acquainted with some breathing techniques (there are many of them on the Internet), tried to perform them and monitored my body’s reaction and how comfortable I was when performing them.

From a long time ago I was familiar with the method of cleansing breathing from yoga (I used to practice it). I was interested in the breathing exercises of Japanese managers (I read it in a magazine). Having combined the two methods, I tried them out and noted their effectiveness. Since then, I have successfully used these breathing movements for many years.

This technique of proper breathing saves me during periods of increased intellectual stress. After doing the exercises for 5-10 minutes, I feel rested, like after sleep.

I always remember about proper breathing, and I use my breathing technique during sudden surges in pressure, in stressful situations, during anxiety attacks and lack of air due to problems with the thyroid gland.

Breathing technique from personal experience

1. Take the correct natural pose. The pose becomes natural when you are in a convenient and comfortable position: lying, sitting or standing. You don't feel any tension in your body. Tension contributes to vasospasm and poor circulation. You feel light and calm. This does not mean that you relaxed so much that your muscles “slung”, as during meditation. No. This is another position where your mind is almost free of thoughts and your body is not tense. Your attention is focused on your breathing. The back is straight, the spine is strictly horizontal (lying) or vertical (sitting, standing). When sitting or standing, the head should be fixed directly on the neck.
2. Take a smooth, silent, but full breath through your nose to the count of 1, 2, 3, 4 (as if you were smelling flowers). Imagine how air is slowly drawn from the tip of your nose through your lungs into your stomach, inflating it. Thus, air fills even the lower parts of the lungs, while stretching the diaphragm that separates the chest from the abdominal cavity.
3. Hold the air in for 3 seconds (mentally counting to 3).
4. Exhale calmly and slowly through your mouth for 4 seconds. Then, on the count of 5, 6, 7, exhale three times through your mouth, pulling your stomach toward your ribs. This will be like three upward pushes of the diaphragm, as a result of which the smallest alveoli of the lungs can be freed of air. This element of cleansing breathing will allow you to clear the most secluded places of the lungs from stagnant air and accumulated mucus. If it is difficult for someone to abruptly end the exhalation with pushes, tightening the stomach, you can exhale calmly through the nose to the count of 7.
5. After exhaling, you need to hold your breath again, mentally counting to 8. When you master this breathing technique well, you will be able to exhale longer. For example, I can pause while exhaling for up to 12-15 seconds.
6. Again, slowly inhale deeply through your nose as described in step 2 and repeat the breathing cycle.

So, the breathing technique consists of inhaling for a count of 4, holding your breath while inhaling for a count of 3, exhaling for 7 seconds and holding your breath while exhaling for up to 8 seconds (4, 3, 7, 8).

At the beginning of practice proper breathing - the basis of life - health and longevity, You will be able to do 5-7 cycles of “inhale-hold-exhale-hold.”

As you practice, you will increase this number to 12 cycles. During the day, you can do as many approaches of such breathing exercises as needed.

Regular exercise will allow you to get used to breathing correctly: slowly and deeply, with pauses while inhaling to increase the flow of oxygen, and while exhaling to increase the level of carbon dioxide in the blood. Breathing from the stomach or diaphragm is considered correct and most beneficial for health.

Why does the body need carbon dioxide?

Why is it necessary to exhale? The fact is that for the uniform distribution of oxygen in the body that enters the lungs during inhalation, a normal level of carbon dioxide CO2 in the blood is required - about 6.4%. If this level is lower due to shallow breathing or older age with a sedentary lifestyle, the inhaled oxygen does not reach the body's cells, but remains unabsorbed and leaves the body when exhaled.

Scientists have proven the need for a sufficient level of carbon dioxide in the blood for the health of the body:

• Normal CO2 levels stimulate the breathing process. It turns out that a decrease in oxygen supply is not a signal for our body to replenish it. This signal is an increase in the level of carbon dioxide in the blood.
• Carbon dioxide regulates blood flow in the body by dilating blood vessels and facilitating the delivery of oxygen to cells.
• Carbon dioxide regulates the pH of the blood, preventing it from acidifying.
• A sufficient level of CO2 in the blood is responsible for metabolism, the functioning of the endocrine system, blood composition, protein synthesis and the formation of new cells (rejuvenation).
• The physical condition of a person and the intensity of his aging processes depend on the normal level of CO2.

At a young age, a normal level of carbon dioxide in the blood is ensured by sufficient physical activity. In older people, when physical activity decreases, the level of CO2 in the blood also drops to 3-4%, so proper breathing can replenish it.

The benefits of proper breathing and how to do it

Utility

Benefit proper breathing - the basis of life - health and longevity it is difficult to overestimate, since normal blood saturation with oxygen and carbon dioxide improves blood circulation; blood pressure and heart muscle function are normalized; the functions of the brain and nervous system are activated; due to internal massage of the moving diaphragm; the muscles of the back, shoulder girdle and abdomen are strengthened, which significantly improves the condition of the spine and posture.

As a result of constant practice of breathing exercises, over time (not immediately) you will feel cheerfulness and a surge of energy, excellent health and increased intellectual activity. Your complexion will improve, your skin will be elastic and youthful. You may even lose a few kilograms of weight. And you certainly won’t suffer from diseases of the pulmonary system, since your lungs will be trained and well ventilated.

In addition, scientists claim that breathing techniques enhance the movement of lymph, which quickly removes toxins and waste products of cells, thereby healing the body.

Basic execution rules

There are few basic rules for performing breathing exercises:

The only discomfort that is noticeable during breathing exercises is dizziness, and even then it is mild.

Contraindications

People who have undergone surgery, a heart attack, suffering from decompensated cardiovascular pathology, diseases of the endocrine system, a high degree of myopia, glaucoma in the acute stage, infectious diseases in the acute period, as well as those diagnosed with hypertension with high blood pressure numbers should refuse from this breathing technique.

For everyone else, after consultation with a doctor, I recommend proper breathing techniques for rejuvenation and prolongation of life as a result of inhibition of cell aging processes.

To achieve this and normalize all processes in the body, do not forget to get enough sleep, eat right, strengthen your body, avoid stress, smoking, and drinking alcohol.

Breathe deeper and slower! Be healthy and happy!

Information flashes from book to book: “A person should and can live up to 120-150 years. This age is inherent in nature.” But only a few manage to live to an old age and at the same time maintain strength and health. Most people reach 60-70 years of age and reach this milestone with a whole bunch of different diseases.

What prevents us from being healthy even until we are 50-60 years old?

From the first minutes of birth, a person is exposed to various irritants. The body is ready for them; it has amazing abilities to adapt to very different conditions: heat or cold, complete rest or active action. But only on condition that we do not interfere with him and trust him. Otherwise, the body stops coping with problems and gives a distress signal - it gets sick. And we are treating him. It doesn’t matter what – herbal pills or fasting. Sometimes the problem goes away, but soon a new one arises. Why? Because before treating, we need to think about the essence of the disease, about why it was given to us. You can answer this question right now by reading just one paragraph of this chapter: illness is an indicator that we are doing something wrong - we are interfering with the body. And most often we prevent him from breathing properly.

Life begins with breathing. The first action of a child born into the world is to take a deep breath of air. The functioning of our organs and systems depends on breathing. Beauty, youth and longevity are directly related to our respiratory processes. They regulate our physical and mental activity. Our thoughts and emotions, mood, and even the manifestation of creative abilities also depend on breathing. Breathing is a reflection of our internal state and interaction with the outside world. Every inhalation and exhalation shapes a person. But at the same time, it is such a natural mechanism that we do not pay any attention to it.

As a rule, we don’t think about how we breathe and what we breathe. And in vain. On the one hand, breathing is a physiological process during which natural gas exchange occurs in the body. But on the other hand, breathing is as important a source of energy as nutrition. During inhalation, vital forces are supplied along with oxygen. As you exhale, the body is freed not only from carbon dioxide, but also from negative energy and tension.

Breathing is a semi-autonomous function. That is, we don’t seem to think about how to inhale or exhale, but if we wish, we can consciously control our breathing, unlike our heartbeat.

Let's go back to the beginning of the chapter and try to answer - how, by disrupting the natural breathing process, a person prevents the body from replenishing its energy supply and cleansing itself - let's remember what the respiratory system is and how it works.

Breathing is the result of the complex work of an entire organ system.

The central organ of the respiratory system is the lungs. They consist of tiny vesicles (alveoli) surrounding the bronchioles. There are about 700 million of them. Venous blood enters the alveoli through the pulmonary arteries, and atmospheric air through the respiratory tract.

The main function of the lungs is gas exchange. Gas exchange is the movement of gases and changes in their composition within the body. During gas exchange, oxygen is taken from the consumed gas mixtures and carbon dioxide, various gas impurities, inert nitrogen and water vapor are released.

The respiratory system also includes nasal and oral cavities, pharynx, larynx, trachea and bronchi.

First, air enters the nasal cavity and nasopharynx. They are motionless. Their shape is not accidental: the nasopharynx is created in such a way as to amplify the sound of our voice, giving it timbre and sonority.

Next, the air passes into the pharynx, where the respiratory and digestive tracts intersect, and then into the trachea, where dust and foreign particles settle that can enter the body. In addition, the function of the trachea is to humidify the air. From it the air flow passes into the bronchi.

Bronchi are tubes formed when the trachea bifurcates. They end in bronchioles located in the lungs. The bronchioles' job is to distribute oxygen. The air reaches the lungs already heated, purified from the bulk of mechanical impurities and humidified.

Respiratory movements are carried out by the diaphragm (it separates the lungs from the abdominal cavity) and the intercostal muscles. When you inhale, the muscles raise the chest, the diaphragm contracts and thickens. Due to this process, the volume of the lungs increases and air enters the lungs. The process resembles the operation of a conventional pump. When you exhale, the intercostal muscles relax, the diaphragm rises up and air is pushed out of the body.

In the process of gas exchange, oxygen and carbon dioxide are of primary importance.

Oxygen enters the body along with the air, through the bronchi, then enters the lungs, from there into the blood, and from the blood into the tissues.

Carbon dioxide goes through this chain in the opposite direction: it is formed in the tissues, then enters the blood and from there it is removed from the body through the respiratory tract.

In a healthy person, these two processes are in a state of constant equilibrium: the ratio of carbon dioxide and oxygen is 3:1.

Carbon dioxide, contrary to popular belief, is needed by the body no less than oxygen:

Carbon dioxide pressure affects the cerebral cortex, respiratory and vasomotor centers;

Carbon dioxide provides tone and a certain degree of readiness for activity of various parts of the central nervous system;

Responsible for the tone of blood vessels, bronchi, metabolism, secretion of hormones, electrolyte composition of blood and tissues;

Indirectly affects the activity of enzymes and the speed of almost all biochemical reactions of the body.

Oxygen serves only as an energy material, and its regulatory functions are limited.

Types of breathing

In a calm state, a person usually inhales and exhales 400-500 ml of the gas mixture. Although the maximum volume of exhalation after the deepest inhalation reaches an average of 3500 ml. This indicator is called vital capacity.

In a healthy person, gas exchange occurs at the same frequency of inhalation and exhalation (16-20 breaths per minute). Children have a higher breathing rate. It is 20-30 respiratory movements per minute; in infants - 30-40; in newborns - 40-60. The breathing rate can fluctuate depending on physical activity, emotional mood, and health status. Moreover, each person is able to arbitrarily change the rhythm, depth, structure and level of breathing, and use different types of breathing in different situations. Depending on which muscles work, breathing can be abdominal or diaphragmatic, thoracic or intercostal (it is in turn divided into upper and lower) and mixed or full.

Abdominal breathing carried out by contracting the diaphragm and abdominal muscles with relative rest of the chest walls. When you inhale, your shoulders drop, your pectoral muscles weaken, and your diaphragm contracts and lowers. This increases the negative pressure in the chest cavity, and the lower part of the lungs fills with air. At the same time, intra-abdominal pressure increases and the stomach protrudes. During exhalation, the diaphragm relaxes, rises, and the abdominal wall returns to its original position.

Why is it necessary?

During diaphragmatic breathing, internal organs are massaged. Most often, this type of breathing occurs in men. It also occurs when a person is resting, usually during sleep.

Lower chest breathing engages the intercostal muscles. As a result of muscle contraction, the chest expands outward and upward, air enters the lungs, and inhalation occurs. During lower breathing, only part of the lungs is filled and only the ribs are activated, but the rest of the body remains motionless. As a result, a full gas exchange process does not occur.

Why is it necessary?

Lower chest breathing is usually used by women. It is also used by people who are often in a sitting position, because they always have to lean forward to read or write.

Upper chest breathing occurs due to the work of the muscles of the collarbones. When you inhale, the collarbones and shoulders rise, and air enters the lungs. In this case, you have to put in a lot of effort, because the frequency of inhalations and exhalations increases, and the supply of oxygen turns out to be insignificant. This type of breathing can be deliberately induced by drawing in the abdomen. Only a small part of the lungs participates in upper chest breathing and gas exchange occurs incompletely. As a result, the air is not properly cleaned and warmed.

Why is it necessary?

Women resort to this type of breathing during childbirth.

Mixed or full breath sets the entire breathing apparatus in motion. At the same time, all types of muscles, including the diaphragm, work in a person, and the lungs are fully ventilated.

Why is it necessary?

Such breathing removes toxins, stimulates metabolism, and renews the body.

In this case, breathing can be both deep and shallow. Shallow breathing is light and rapid. The respiratory rate is up to 60 movements per minute. In this case, a silent inhalation and a noisy intense exhalation are made. This allows you to relieve tension from all muscles of the body. With shallow breathing, the lungs are only partially filled with air.

Only small children breathe shallowly. The older the child gets, the fewer breaths he takes per minute. The breathing of an adult becomes deep. During deep breathing, the frequency slows down, the lungs are filled with air as much as possible. The inhalation volume exceeds the permissible norm.

But is such breathing beneficial for our health? And what type of breathing is the best?

Since childhood, we are taught to breathe deeply during physical and psychological stress. It is believed that the more oxygen gets into our body, the better our internal organs will be “nourished” and the longer they will remain healthy.

But it turns out that deep breathing can occur involuntarily for the following reasons:

Overeating, especially abuse of protein and fatty foods;

Taking medications, especially antibiotics, ephedrine, adrenaline, cardamine;

Physical inactivity (low physical activity);

Bed rest, especially sleeping on the back and right side;

Overheating;

Odors of chemical origin: linoleum, rubber, household paints, etc.;

Nervous-mental stress;

Gambling;

Smoking;

Alcohol.

Paradoxically, back in 1871, the Dutch doctor De Costa proved that deep breathing is harmful to our health!

The Russian physiologist B. F. Verigo and the Danish scientist N. Bohr simultaneously discovered a phenomenon that became known as the “Verigo-Bohr effect.” They came to the seemingly paradoxical conclusion that An excess of oxygen and a lack of carbon dioxide lead to oxygen starvation.

The fact is that deep breathing saturates the lungs with oxygen, which means it displaces carbon dioxide. To compensate for the loss of carbon dioxide, the blood vessels contract. Accordingly, the supply of oxygen decreases, since it penetrates into the tissues of the body through the same vessels through which carbon dioxide is removed from there.

Therefore, the idea that deep breathing enriches the body with oxygen as fully as possible is erroneous.

For the normal functioning of the body, it is necessary to maintain the balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen established by nature. The desire to increase oxygen content through deep breathing leads to oxygen starvation.

From deep breathing after 1-3 minutes:

There is a decrease in blood pressure or hypotension;

Swelling and bags appear under the eyes;

The functioning of the thyroid gland is disrupted;

Cholesterol concentration increases regardless of diet.

In addition, science has established a close relationship between breathing and the tone of the nervous system. Obviously, deep breathing removes carbon dioxide as completely as possible. But does this benefit the body? Observations have shown that carbon dioxide is a sleeping pill, a sedative and even a narcotic. Therefore, its decrease in nerve cells leads to their excitation. As a result, symptoms such as insomnia, irritability, memory impairment appear, and as a result, asthma, hypertension, heart attacks, strokes, etc. In addition, a decrease in carbon dioxide in the blood leads to a decrease in pH levels. As a result, the environment in the body shifts to the alkaline side, which disrupts the activity of enzymes and vitamins and inevitably leads to improper metabolism, weakened immunity, and allergic reactions.

How to maintain an optimal balance of breathing depth, the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide, so as not to harm the body?

What is correct breathing

Most people are confident that they are breathing correctly. Well, what seems so complicated here? But in most cases we limit ourselves to shallow breathing, or, conversely, focus on deep breathing. Both of them deviate from the natural norm. Only when health problems begin do we remember our breathing.

Proper breathing involves using the entire volume of your lungs and providing the body with sufficient amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Correct, healthy breathing of a person consists of three phases:

1) involuntary silent inhalation (necessarily through the nose);

2) exhalation;

3) a short pause - a respite.

All three phases are always present in the act of breathing. The exhalation is about one second, followed by a pause - about one and a half seconds, and the return of breathing (inhalation) - about a second. The time ratio may vary depending on the type and intensity of loads. Three-phase breathing is provided for by the laws of nature. And I can assure you it is the most optimal and effective. By the way, it is during sleep that a healthy person breathes as correctly as possible, since breathing is not consciously controlled , because in a dream, control of this process is entirely transferred to the respiratory center.

Triphasic breathing is a cycle that repeats on average 16 times per minute in an untrained person, and approximately 8-10 times per minute in a trained person.

Proper breathing facilitates the work of the heart, enhances the respiratory movements of the chest and diaphragm and stimulates the extracardiac circulatory mechanism. It immediately strengthens all organs of the human body associated with breathing (voice apparatus, lungs and diaphragm). Thanks to proper breathing, the normal activity of the nervous system is restored, the vital capacity of the lungs increases, the blood and tissues are actively saturated with oxygen, which significantly improves the general condition and performance.

In order to determine the rhythm of proper breathing, you need to sit on a chair in a free, relaxed position. Clothes should not restrict the body.

Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Follow him, but do not try to consciously interfere with the process. Your task is to follow the sequence of filling and emptying of the lungs:

First, smoothly fill the lower part of the lungs with air so that the stomach moves forward, the diaphragm moves down, then the middle part (the ribs and chest rise), and finally the upper part (the collarbones rise, and the stomach pulls up to the spine);

As you exhale, your stomach should contract, your diaphragm should rise, and then your chest and shoulders should fall;

Movements when inhaling and exhaling should be soft, smooth, without sudden jolts or tension;

Repeat 3 times;

On the fourth inhalation, hold your breath and note the time in seconds;

Exhale and again record the time during which you can go without air entering your lungs;

Compare your results.

In most cases, the duration of inhalation and exhalation will be different. Some people inhale too short, while others exhale too short. With proper breathing, the duration of inhalation and exhalation should be the same. If you have a difference between your inhalation and exhalation, it's time to get serious about your health. Once you master the technique of proper breathing, it will become your primary need and habit.

Correct breathing techniques

People have been thinking about what proper breathing is for a long time. The first information on this issue dates back to the 6th century BC. The oldest sayings about the method of correct breathing are carved in stone: “When breathing, you need to do the following: hold your breath, it accumulates, if it accumulates, it spreads further, if it spreads further, it goes down, becomes calm, if it becomes calm, it strengthens. If you release it, it grows; when it has grown, you need to squeeze it again. If you squeeze it, it will reach the top of your head. There it presses on the head, presses down.”

The peoples of the East gave breathing exercises a philosophical meaning. Breathing was supposed to control human energy, to exist in harmony with feelings and thoughts.

In European philosophy and medicine, the connection between the breath of the soul, health and life was affirmed. The scientific and technological revolution has made it possible to realize that breathing has a significant impact on all the main functions and processes of the body. Thanks to it, you can prevent diseases.

20th century research in the field of breathing led to the creation of a number of techniques for proper breathing. Initially, these techniques were used for respiratory diseases, as well as in the professional training of singers, announcers, teachers and athletes.

And only in the second half of the 20th century. The development of breathing exercises has found wide application in both traditional and alternative medicine.

There are many techniques that normalize breathing and make it correct. Among them:

Oriental breathing exercises Tai Chi Qigong;

Bodyflex breathing exercises technique;

Hyperventilation breathing technique;

Method of three-phase breathing by L. Kofler - Lobanova-Lukyanova;

Paradoxical gymnastics by A. N. Strelnikova;

Method of volitional elimination of deep breathing K. P. Buteyko.

Which one to choose, you might think? And how safe will it be? Frankly, all these techniques combine wonderfully with each other and everyone can find the optimal breathing exercises for them. In the table below you can choose breathing techniques based on your health status. You will find descriptions of all the techniques mentioned in this book. I tried some of them from my own experience and achieved significant changes in my health. But, of course, I made the biggest discovery for myself five years ago, when I found a description of the sobbing breathing method of Yuri Vilunas. It’s impossible to think of anything simpler and more natural!

Any of the breathing techniques requires effort and time to master and perform the exercises. You won't be able to breathe yogically while walking to or from work, mopping the floors, or cooking lunch. Maybe that’s why the results from using all the listed breathing exercises are not so impressive. While it hurts, I keep working out, but when I let it go a little, I start to get lazy. This is how man is made. But Vilunas’ method was able to defeat even human laziness.

Comprehensive treatment and prevention of diseases using breathing techniques

Correct breathing is the basis of longevity and a healthy life. A person’s life begins the moment he takes his first breath and ends with his last exhalation. We can live without food for about a month, we can live for about a week without water, we can live without air for only a few minutes. Breathing is the most important biological function with which all other functions of the body are associated. Thus, breathing is life itself. As is known, all processes in the Universe, without exception, are cyclical and all these cycles are interconnected. The rhythm of these cycles is the “breath” of the Universe. Our breathing - inhalation and exhalation - is the most important of all the cycles to which our life is subject. Indian yogis say that each person in each incarnation is allocated a certain number of inhalations and exhalations. This means that the one who breathes deeply and calmly will live longer than the one who breathes shallowly, frequently and fussily. This statement contains great wisdom, especially since the yogis themselves are great experts in how to breathe correctly and are famous for their impeccable health and amazing longevity. They just shake their heads as they watch Western man squander the divine gift of life by rushing around, conducting feverish activities and, as a result, hastily taking small inhalations and exhalations. Unfortunately, we have to admit that we, civilized people, armed with a lot of knowledge and skills, do not know how to do the most important thing - we do not know how to breathe! Modern Western man breathes too quickly and shallowly, which is one of the main reasons for low vitality and numerous diseases. Our unnatural living conditions in polluted cities, stuffy offices and cramped apartments have led us to forget the natural rhythm of breathing. Primitive people living in natural conditions did not need to be taught to breathe correctly: the fight against the elements, the harsh climate, and constant movement in the fresh air trained the lungs and developed the correct breathing habit. In addition, our overloaded emotional life, constantly oscillating between passions and fears, literally squeezes the throat, compresses the diaphragm and prevents normal, deep breathing. The way we breathe, according to yogis, barely keeps us alive. There is a saying in India: “When all the corners are swept clean, it is not the same as if only the middle of the room is swept.” Our breathing usually allows us to "sweep" only a small part of our lungs. Correct breathing is one that involves the entire volume, all three sections of the lungs - upper, middle and lower. This way of breathing is called “full yogic breathing.” Well-ventilated lungs transmit a large amount of oxygen and prana - the subtle energy component of air - into the blood, the blood circulates more actively, and all cleansing and metabolic processes are revived. If the blood is not sufficiently supplied with oxygen and prana, it gradually becomes filled with waste and toxins, the removal of which is slowed down, and these harmful substances are carried throughout all tissues and organs, poisoning the body. Most modern people breathe only from the top of their lungs. This kind of breathing is called “clavicular”, and it is especially typical for women who, in pursuit of slimness, tighten their waist and stomach with belts, corsets, tight trousers and skirts. Men breathe a little better, some of them perform middle or intercostal breathing. This type of breathing uses both the upper and middle sections of the lungs. And only a fraction of a percent of people experience abdominal, or abdominal, breathing, during which all three sections are filled with air - lower, middle and upper. This breathing actively uses the diaphragm. This way of breathing is the most correct; it ensures a long and healthy life. What helps you learn to breathe correctly? First, exercise, especially outdoors. During a walk, the volume of inhaled air doubles, while climbing mountains - ten times, while swimming - twenty times. Secondly, special breathing exercises - pranayama and qigong. The sages of India and China thousands of years ago understood the importance of breathing control for maintaining health, vigor and longevity. The breathing exercise techniques they developed are, without exaggeration, a panacea for modern urban people from most diseases and mental problems, since they not only restore health to the body, but also help regulate the psyche. Daily practice of full yogic breathing, at least for 15 minutes, significantly improves immunity and helps to develop the habit of breathing correctly, with the entire volume of the lungs. And a few more words about the connection between breathing and sexuality. Since childhood, our sexual identity has been enslaved by numerous fears and repressions, and the diaphragm, which plays a huge role in breathing, is literally bound by the iron shackles of all these repressions. This is another reason why we cannot breathe. With the help of full breathing, we free the diaphragm and release the energy of passion and ecstasy contained in the lower abdomen in the sexual chakra. It is no coincidence that the ability to maintain the rhythm of deep, full breathing during lovemaking is one of the key techniques #Tantra-yogi. Thus, by practicing full yogic breathing, we can also significantly improve the quality of our sex life.

Proper breathing is the second indicator of health after food according to V. Karavaev’s system. When breathing, energy is exchanged. Proper breathing depends on the acid-base state of brain cells. What to do whenperforming a set of breathing exercises by V. Karavaev?

What breathing is considered correct?

Yogis believed that breathing only through the right nostril warms the body. They called this breathing solar. Breathing through the left nostril cools the body. Yogis called this breathing lunar.

Our life depends entirely on the breathing process. Without breath there is no life. Even plants cannot live without breathing. From the first breath of a baby to the very last breath of an old man, earthly life passes. Life is a long series of breaths.

Nature has shown man and animals that they need to breathe freely and deeply. Civilization has changed a lot in man. She gave a person only bad things: harmful and incorrect manners of standing, walking and sitting, depriving him of natural breathing. Man has paid dearly for civilization. The current savage breathes correctly. Savages flare their nostrils wide when breathing due to respiratory failure.

Air contains not only hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen. Not only blood oxidation occurs during breathing. Yogis from ancient times know that alternating breaths through the left nasal opening helps to maintain control over your emotions and energy. Yogis know how to bring themselves into harmony with all of nature and develop their hidden powers. Wise yogis knew that breathing can cure diseases, remove torment, fear and lower passions from oneself.

Proper breathing creates balance and regulates the flow of air through your nasal passages and means “cleansing the circulation channels.” V. Karavaev said that hemoglobin transports not only oxygen, but also energy, which is necessary for cell division. The same energy fills the body when a person tans in the sun. To capture solar energy, a person can expose only 1 m 2 of the surface of his body.

The surface of the alveoli of the human lungs during normal breathing is 30-50 m2, and during deep breathing - 250 m2. Consequently, the lungs can capture 250 times more solar energy than our skin. In addition to the function of the lungs to supply cells with energy, they also have a second role. The lungs remove toxins from the body and cleanse the venous blood. Deep and cyclical breathing of a person indicates a person’s normal mental state. And this maintains and restores the rhythm of cell activity. The body performs its functions normally. This is an excellent condition for maintaining good health and long life.

The role of the diaphragm is important. It plays its role in the movement of lymph, strengthens and normalizes the peristalsis of our intestines and promotes the release of waste after the digestive process. When breathing deeply, the diaphragm increases blood flow to the internal organs and thereby increases the supply of nutrients, oxygen and free energy. And now it is clear that a person can live weeks without food, several days without water and several minutes without breathing.

Previously developed methods were aimed at increasing the oxygen supply to cells and achieving more complete oxidation of food products and missed the fact that an increased amount of oxygen increases acidity in the lungs and blood and contributes to some damage to the organs and connective tissues of the body.

Bronchial asthma is the body's defense against oxygen penetration. The breathing system of yogis with the left and right nostrils is a positive attempt in regulating the electron-charge balance of the body.

Breathing through the right nostril as you exhale increases the bioelectric voltage of the body, and breathing through the left nostril lowers this voltage.

By observing the state of your body and using correct breathing through the right or left nostril of the body, you can improve your health. . Due to its limitations, this mechanism of energy regulation cannot save the body for a long time. Using the breathing mixture Psycheon, which was recommended by V. Karavaev, you can successfully take V. Karavaev’s breathing exercises for the improvement and prevention of your body.

V. Karavaev said: “We eat like elephants and breathe like flies.” V. Karavaev offered his healing recipe. This is rhythmic and calm breathing with the psycheon. The Psycheon breathing mixture contained substances such as turpentine, herbal decoction, aqueous ammonia and other ingredients. Many followers of V. Karavaev created an approximately similar drug for breathing. Using these drugs when performing breathing exercises, you can cure bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis, pneumonia and others. The drug "Psycheon" is currently not available.

Breathing exercises by V. Karavaev.

V. Karavaev’s breathing exercises are aimed at regulating the electron-charge balance of the blood. Karavaev recommended breathing not together with both nostrils, but with the nostril that breathes more easily and freely at the moment. Breathe with the right nostril when you need to warm up, and with the left when you need to cool down. Breathing through the left nostril alkalizes the blood.

Nostril breathing depends on the acid-base state of brain cells. The left nostril breathes easier when the brain is tired, overexcited, or overheated. This is a shift of ASR in the acidic direction. It is easier to breathe through the right nostril when the brain is poorly loaded with information, when thoughts are sluggish and boring, and when the level of acid-rich hormone shifts to the alkaline side. This useful mechanism is used to test the state of the body after waking up from sleep in the morning. This is a necessary, practical and thermoregulatory mechanism.

If both nostrils breathe equally, then you need to take turns breathing through the first or second nostril. The body itself regulates heat loss and heat transfer. When it is overheated, breathing through the left nostril occurs more easily. The body cools down. When he is supercooled, breathing through the right nostril occurs more easily and the thermodynamic mechanism turns on again. The body warms up. By breathing through one nostril you can lower or increase the temperature of the physical body by one degree.

Our body needs help to restore the necessary level of heat transfer and energy. You just need to breathe through the nostril that breathes easier at the moment.

Breathing through the nostrils is checked simply by inhaling slowly. First, cover one nostril with your finger, inhale slowly and slowly and calmly exhale air through the open nostril. The same procedure is performed on the second nostril. So we evaluate which nostril is breathing easier at the moment, and evaluate our level of ASR.

It is easier to breathe through the right nostril when the pH balance shifts to the alkaline side.

Many people's bodies are acidic. They need to breathe through the left nostril. Such breathing relieves overheating for a certain time and restores it. But this is not enough when the body is highly acidified. The body needs additional energy. Breathing through the right nostril will provide this energy. A paradox arises.

Karavaev answered this confusing question. He made a special aromatic mixture for inhalation called Psycheon. Breathing with it through the right nostril gives the body energy and cools it. The blood becomes alkalized when breathing through the right nostril with the intake of Psycheon. It’s a pity that Karavaev’s “Psycheon” or “breath” is not being produced now. You can inhale not just the surrounding air, but the vapors of rose oil, fir oil, propolis or menthol.

and check your nostril breathing when your feet are warm, so that there is no error in testing for ASR. An increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, an increase in pulse, an increase in blood pressure, a decrease in blood viscosity, a feeling of overheating, increased acidity of gastric juice, and a tendency to constipation indicate a shift in the acid-rich hormone level to the acid level.With an alkaline shift, all these processes occur in the opposite direction.

Karavaev, after a thorough analysis of yogic breathing methods, developed and put this breathing exercises on a scientific basis. He developed this gymnastics in order to make the breathing of the nostrils uniform. Karavaev recommended doing proper breathing along with the practice of proper self-hypnosis or psychotherapy. This combination gives excellent results in practice.

Breathing exercises.

When performing a set of breathing exercises by V. Karavaev, you must follow the following rules:

1. Breathing exercises are done on an empty and emptied stomach. Food must be digested in the stomach and removed from the stomach. A decoction of herbs and calcium carbonate can be taken before breathing exercises. After eating you can’t breathe deeply; half an hour must pass. During breathing movements, the diaphragm prevents the stomach from performing digestion. And a stomach filled with food prevents the diaphragm from breathing properly.

2. When carrying out breathing movements and every day, in order to avoid any loss of energy, you should keep the arches of your feet and your back warm, where the nerve centers and nerve channels are located. You need to dress lightly and warmly, without causing the body to overheat. Beware of drafts and severe hypothermia.

3. Sit comfortably, steadily and straight, without leaning your back against the back of the chair, so that the nerve energy centers located in the spine are brought into an active state. According to the law of feedback, the touch of the spine to the back of the chair leads your thinking process to a passive state. Keep your head and body straight, relax the skeletal muscles of the torso, and cross your legs under the seat for better stability. You can also sit on the sofa on a folded blanket, covering your legs for warmth.

4. Bring the shoulder blades together to improve ventilation in the lungs, to improve the circulation of biocurrents and blood circulation.

5. The teeth should never be kept clenched at all, but should be in an unclenched state while breathing. The jaws are like batteries of bioelectrodes and with strong compression the circulation of biocurrents is closed, like a short circuit in an electrical circuit. This negatively affects the functioning of the brain.

6. While breathing, you should hold your tongue between your teeth or press it lightly to the roof of your mouth. The eyes should be motionless and closed. The stillness of the eyes and tongue is necessary to stabilize (concentrate) the thought so that the thought does not dissipate. But when performing self-hypnosis breathing (psychotherapeutic breathing), only concentrated thought can give the necessary results.

7. With the eyelids closed, direct the pupils of the eyes upward at an angle of 45 0 relative to the horizontal. This will promote an active state of your psyche.

8. It is necessary to breathe without pauses, deeply, rhythmically, silently and evenly. With rapid exhalations and inhalations, it is impossible to use the entire surface of the pulmonary alveoli. With slow breathing, gas exchange in the body occurs best, as well as proper energy exchange in the blood, lungs and cells. Only such breathing gives the proper effect in healing the human body.

9. Inhalation and exhalation should be done without mental and physical stress. When inhaling, fill the lungs to approximately 75% of their volume so that there is no tension in the lungs.

10. The exhalation should be made more complete, approximately twice as long as the inhalation. There is no need to control the time of inhalation and exhalation. Do not be embarrassed if the inhalation and exhalation are not long and deep at first.

11. Do breathing exercises alternately with the first or second nostrils, and not with both nostrils together. Breathing through one nostril will be deeper and more effective.

12. Before performing breathing exercises, you need to check which nostril breathes easier. To do this, close your right nostril with your finger, and with your left nostril, inhale and exhale evenly and slowly. Do the same with the right nostril, closing the left nostril. The slower you inhale and exhale through your nostrils, the more accurately you can determine as you exhale which nostril is easier to breathe.

13. If the nostrils do not breathe equally, then you need to breathe only through one nostril. When breathing through the right nostril prevails over the left, then you should breathe through the right nostril, closing the left nostril, until both nostrils begin to breathe equally. If you breathe equally through both nostrils, then you should breathe alternately through the left and right nostrils.

14. When breathing alternately through two nostrils, you need to do the following:

1) First, exhale completely and deeply to get into the desired breathing rhythm.

2) Holding your right nostril closed, inhale deeply and slowly through your left nostril.

3) Quickly, without pausing, holding your left nostril with your finger, exhale completely through the right nostril.

4) After exhaling, you should take a deep and slow breath into the same nostril.

5) Holding your right nostril with your finger, exhale completely through your left nostril, and so on.

15. When breathing only through the right or only through the left nostril, do the following:

1) Take a deep, complete exhalation.

2) Holding only the left or only the right nostril with your finger, you need to take a deep and slow breath.

3) Quickly, without pausing, exhale completely through your left or right nostril if possible, then inhale through your left or right nostril, and so on.

Correct breathing and these breathing exercises with one left or one right nostril should be carried out until overheating begins in the subcortical structures of the brain. The hypothalamus will automatically turn on their cooling and this will result in the fact that the left nostril will then breathe easier than the right nostril breathes. This will be felt when exhaling through the left nostril. In this case, it is recommended to use psycheon or its substitute while inhaling through the left nostril.

You need to breathe like this until you feel that when you exhale, your right nostril begins to breathe easier. Hypothermia of the brain has begun, this is how the psycheon cools. In the case when the right nostril breathes more easily than the left nostril, when inhaling, there is no need to bring the psycheon to the left nostril.

16. For greater effectiveness of prevention and health promotion, V.V. Karavaev recommended combining breathing exercises with the practice of proper self-hypnosis (psychotherapy or). He advised, when performing breathing exercises, to reprogram consciousness from negative character traits and emotions to positive ones through self-suggestion.

To do this, when performing a set of breathing exercises, you need to convincingly instill in yourself and build in your mind the following mental stereotype with a strong, concentrated thought:

“I am brave, strong, calm, patient and persistent. Master of your strong will! I want to be healthy, I can be healthy and I will be healthy! Every day I feel better and better!”

In your thoughts, imagine when performing a set of breathing exercises that you are inhaling, for example, courage along with the air. As you exhale, imagine yourself being brave in a life situation where you lack courage. This will quickly help get rid of the fear of old age, illness and death in your mind. Draw a picture in your mind where you are young and healthy!

As you inhale, mentally build a model of how youth, energy and health enter your body, and as you exhale, imagine yourself rejuvenated, healthier, full of vigor and strength.

17. You may feel dizzy during breathing exercises. But it passes quickly. You need to wait until it stops and calmly continue the breathing exercises further.

18. During the first three days, gymnastics should be done before meals, for 15 minutes, and done a fourth time before bed, but without subsequent meals. By adding 5 minutes of gymnastics daily, you need to bring one session of breathing exercises to 30 minutes.

19. The energy obtained through breathing exercises and mental training must be spent sparingly. A lot of useful energy is spent on sexual activity, during hypothermia and during empty conversations. You need to unlearn your bad habit of chatting. Conversations should be conducted when necessary, and food and drink should be taken according to the needs of the body.

20. When you are hot, to avoid overheating of the body, close your right nostril with cotton wool and breathe with your left. When you are cold, to avoid hypothermia, close your left nostril with cotton wool and breathe through one right nostril.

21. When performing work associated with heavy physical activity, fix your attention on exhalation and breathe rhythmically to the rhythm of walking in this way: 1 step - inhale, 2 steps - two exhalations.

By performing daily breathing exercises by Karavaev V.V., you will gradually gain the correct breathing of your body. Have fun doing breathing exercises!

Yogi breathing through the left or right nostril. (video)

Yoga and exercise emphasize breathing exercises. Breathing in and out deeply has many benefits. They will help you shape your nose correctly.

• Sit comfortably. Block one nostril, inhale through the other nostril and hold for 4 seconds.
• Then block the other nostril and exhale when you release the nostril you originally blocked.
• Repeat the exercise, blocking the other nostril.
• Do 3 sessions of 10 repetitions each.

Restore and strengthen your health!

The importance of proper breathing from a health point of view is difficult to overestimate. Not everyone knows that not only the well-being and general physical condition of the body, but also intellectual performance depends on how correctly we breathe.

Breathing is an unconditional and automated process, but it can and should be controlled) And how to achieve this, in what way to breathe correctly and with health benefits, we will try to understand in this article.

What is the correct breathing?

Correct breathing is breathing with the diaphragm: while inhaling, the stomach fills with air and rounds, and when exhaling, it retracts and returns to a neutral state.

The diaphragm (simplified) is a dome-shaped partition of muscles that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. Participates in the breathing process.

This is exactly the way we breathed when we first came into this world. However, with age, many of us simply forgot how to breathe correctly: stress, restrictions, the habit of pushing emotions inside lead to shallow breathing with incomplete depth.

Healthy and proper breathing is characterized by a special rhythm and frequency of respiratory phases. The optimal frequency of the respiratory cycle is 14 - 16 breaths per minute. If the number of breaths exceeds eighteen, there is reason to think: the lungs are poorly ventilated and vulnerable to viral diseases, especially in the autumn-winter period.

What does proper breathing give us?

Deep diaphragmatic breathing is a natural process that has a powerful healing effect. Commitment to the principles of proper breathing does a lot for the health of the body as a whole:

• Strengthening the immune system
• Improved digestion
• Deep relaxation, both physical and equally important emotional relaxation
• Decreased heart rate and blood pressure
• Powerful influx of energy
• Reduced formation of lactic acid in muscle tissue (which will be especially appreciated by athletes and adherents of a healthy lifestyle)
• Relief from stress and excessive anxiety
• Improved well-being and general physical condition
• Weight loss and normalization of metabolism.

Basics of proper breathing

Even the ancient Indian sages drew attention to the importance of the ratio of the lengths of exhalations and inhalations.

The correct breathing rhythm for cheerful people with a high degree of performance is an extended deep breath, a short pause, and an energetic exhalation. This breathing pattern gives a surge of fresh strength and has a mobilizing effect.

In situations of anxiety and stress, a different breathing rhythm will be a panacea: a short inhalation, pause and long exhalation relaxes the muscles and relieves the internal tension of a hard day.

Development of correct breathing

Establishing correct breathing is a matter of close attention to a number of health-improving techniques: hatha yoga, qigong and other eastern movements, some modern gymnastics methods are based on the principles of this process.

However, in order to retrain yourself to breathe consciously and correctly, it is not necessary to join breathing practices. Correct breathing can be achieved through self-observation and simple exercises.

Breath type test

First, you need to decide how you breathe. To do this, place one hand on the diaphragm area, the other on the chest.

• If the diaphragm is included in the breathing process, the hand on the abdominal cavity will move forward from the spine.
• If only the hand on the chest moves, this is a chest type of breathing.
• And if both hands move, there is a mixed type of breathing.

Most often, in adults, the chest type of breathing predominates.

Physical activity, for example, interval training, swimming and running, has a good effect on developing a proper breathing system.

Proper breathing when running

If we talk about the principles of proper breathing when running, it is worth noting that there is no general opinion on this matter, the only thing that all theorists agree on is that breathing should be deep, natural and uncomplicated.

It is recommended to breathe through the nose, with the mouth slightly open - this way, a mixed process is obtained and enough air enters the lungs. Experienced runners are of the opinion that it is necessary to breathe through the diaphragm - evenly and calmly, focusing on exhalation.

When running slowly over long distances, it is necessary to maintain a certain breathing rhythm - inhale and exhale every 3-4 steps. If there is not enough oxygen, the number of steps is reduced to two.

To master the basics of healthy breathing when running, you can first train while walking.

Correct breathing technique

Learning to breathe from your diaphragm is very simple, using a series of exercises for proper breathing. Here are a couple of the simplest and most effective ones.

1. Lie on your back with your knees slightly bent and completely relaxed. Concentrate completely on your body and how you feel. Tighten your abs and, while exhaling air, draw in your stomach. Hold your breath and inhale with your diaphragm, filling the abdominal cavity with oxygen (push your stomach out). After pausing, exhale again.
2. The same process, but in a sitting position. To better control the movement of the diaphragm, you can place your hand on your stomach.

Proper deep breathing

The intensity of deep breathing should be smooth and calm; excessive rhythmic breathing in full depth can lead to dizziness and darkness in the eyes.

Why does breathing too deeply and frequently lead to this problem? This is explained by the active release of carbon dioxide, which maintains healthy tone of blood vessels. Hyperventilation of the lungs can contribute to hypertension (increased blood pressure), cerebrovascular accident, even stroke.

Correct belly breathing

Why is abdominal breathing considered correct?

The correct breathing system ensures that the diaphragm muscles move up and down, allowing the lungs to fully open.

• As you inhale, the diaphragm tenses and moves down, massaging the walls of the abdominal cavity and ensuring blood circulation, which in turn enriches the body tissues with nutrients.
• As you exhale, the contraction of your abdominal muscles pushes the diaphragm upward, contracting the lungs and expelling carbon dioxide.

The consistent movement of the muscular septum massages the internal organs of a person, including the digestive organs.

Correct speech breathing

The development of proper breathing is of paramount importance when developing a voice - and accordingly plays a leading role in learning to sing and correcting speech disorders in children. Since speech sounds are formed during exhalation, great attention must be paid to its correct organization.

The exhalation should be smooth, long and rational, and the inhalation, on the contrary, should be short and silent.

Proper breathing when singing is the basis of vocals. Therefore, it is very important through special exercises to develop the ability to breathe with the diaphragm, as well as to use a mixed abdominal-thoracic type of breathing. At first, control the breathing process by placing your palm on your stomach.

Yoga - correct breathing in eastern practices

The system of correct breathing forms the basis and philosophy of the popular movement of Hatha Yoga.

Eastern practitioners teach conscious and thoughtful breathing, which greatly enhances the healing effect of performing asanas. Special breathing exercises - pranayama - are the path not only to health, but also, first of all, to spiritual self-improvement.

In its practice, yoga relies on three types of breathing at once - clavicular (upper), intercostal (middle) and lower abdominal, activating the entire respiratory system of the body.

Correct abdominal breathing is the path to perfection of soul and body

Deep breathing with the diaphragm is an opportunity not only to improve health and achieve inner harmony, but also to lose extra pounds.

There is a belief that regular breathing exercises can replace grueling exercise in the gym. Modern bodyflex and oxysize breathing techniques are gaining more and more popularity. Oxygen speeds up metabolism, activating intensive burning of excess calories.

Correct breathing system

Speaking about the healthy and natural breathing system, it is very important to note that breathing should be done through the upper respiratory tract - through the nose.

Proper nose breathing protects the throat and lungs from cooling and tiny dust particles, warming and filtering the inhaled air. The bad habit of breathing through the mouth is the root cause of many diseases of the respiratory system and thyroid gland. An effective way to prevent and treat diseases of the upper respiratory tract is proper breathing exercises.

Let's summarize

We looked at the basic principles of proper breathing, which we all once knew, but managed to forget. With the help of simple exercises and techniques, healthy breathing will naturally enter your life, giving youth, energy and beauty.