by Jennifer Flood

Created on: August 22, 2007   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

One of the best, and easiest, ways to ensure a healthy body is to breathe properly. We are born with this intrinsic knowledge. Just watch a baby's belly slowly expand with each breath and you can see this is true. Slow, deep breathing from your diaphragm is the healthy way to breathe. Unfortunately, as we get older we seem to forget this and our breathing becomes faster, shallow, and from the chest.

There are health benefits from deep breathing, but first we need to know what deep breathing is. Deep breathing is breathing from the belly. Your belly expands when you inhale which lets the diaphragm move down into the abdomen which allows the lungs to expand. When you exhale your diaphragm moves upwards helping your lungs push the air out. Deep breathing helps you focus on your diaphragm and makes you inhale and exhale more deeply. As the diaphragm expands and contracts oxygenated blood is put into the circulatory system. Deep breathing puts more oxygen into the blood stream which lowers the carbon dioxide levels in the blood.

The health benefits of deep breathing include:
-Relaxation. When you practice deep breathing your breathing slows down. Deep breathing, especially exhaling, triggers an automatic relaxation response in your body.
-Lowers the effects of stress. When faced with stress you may react with rapid breathing and your heart rate increases. By practicing deep breathing during times of stress you can decrease your heart rate.
-Facilitates weight loss. Deep breathing by itself does not make you lose weight. However, it can enhance the benefits of exercise by improving cardiovascular health by delivering more oxygen to our cells. Oxygen helps remove toxins from your blood that are released during exercise.
-Lowers blood pressure. Deep breathing enhances and strengthens the body's system "that controls heart rate, the strength of heart contractions, and the diameter of blood vessels." It is believed that the reduction in heart rate during deep breathing in turn causes a reduction of systolic and diastolic blood pressure. This reduction in blood pressure does not occur overnight. It occurs with an active daily regimen of deep breathing exercises.
-Aids in sleep. The deep breathing benefits of relaxation and reduced stress can also give you the benefit of a good night's sleep. A few deep breathes before sleep can have you relaxed and off to dreamland in no time at all.

To reap the benefits of deep breathing you first need to know the proper way to breathe deeply. As strange as it may seem some types of advanced deep breathing exercises can be harmful if not performed correctly. So, for someone who is not accustomed to deep breathing it is best to start off with very basic techniques.

One simple deep breathing technique is to:
Sit upright and in a comfortable position.
Slowly inhale through your nose to a count of five.
Exhale slowly through your nose to a count of five.
Pause for two counts.
Repeat steps one through four for 5 to 10 repetitions.

You will find that deep breathing becomes easier with practice. Soon you will find that deep breathing has become as natural to you as, wellbreathing. So, sit back, take a few deep breaths, and relax.

Sources:
http://www,womentowomen.com
http://natu ralhealthperspective.com
http://www.authentic-breathi ng.com

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