DAY 28
WARM-UP: DIRECTING YOUR BREATH
1.
Sit or lie on your back in a relaxed position. Breathe through the nose. Take three deep breaths. Then allow your breathing to become steady and find its calm, natural rhythm.
2.
Breathe into different parts of the body, two breaths at a time. Start by breathing into the diaphragm. The abdomen rises while breathing in.
3.
Direct the breath into the chest. The chest rises while breathing in.
4.
Then, direct the breath into the sides. Feel your sides expand outward while breathing in.
5.
Send your breath to your upper back area. Feel your back rise while breathing in.
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6.
Repeat the breaths for the first minute. ​
WARM-UP: BASIC BREATHING
1.
Sit or lie on your back in a relaxed position. Breathe through the nose. Take three deep breaths. Then allow your breathing become even and find its natural rhythm.
2.
Bring one hand to your rib cage and the other on your abdomen. Notice whether it is your abdomen or chest that rises when you breathe in.
3.
Make a conscious shift from chest breathing to abdominal breathing. As you breathe with your diaphragm, your abdomen will rise and your rib cage will remain still. Keep the breathing rhythm relaxed and natural.
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Do the exercise and relax.
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BREATH-HOLD EXERCISE
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1.
Lie on your back. You can keep your legs bent to help keep your abdominal area more relaxed.
2.
Close your eyes and breathe calmly with your diaphragm for 60 seconds. When you hear the signal, fill your lungs.
3.
Follow the breath-hold and breathing intervals according to the video instructions.
4.
On the final round, you can hold your breath a little longer.
Observe whether diaphragmatic contractions start automatically.
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Hold your breath only as long as you can remain relaxed.
You can continue your practice by starting the program from the beginning. Even if the earlier, easier exercises feel too simple, do them again—they help increase relaxation during your breath-holds.
Find more at breathmanual.com
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Holding your breath in water feels more natural and easier for most people compared to doing it on land. If you want to learn breath-holding in water, consider enrolling in a freediving course.
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