DAY 6
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.
As you relax, your breathing gradually becomes smaller. The longer you continue the exercise, the smaller your breaths become.
WARM-UP: STRENGTHENING THE DIAPHRAGM
1.
Gently blow air out of the lungs through your mouth.
2.
Relax your diaphragm. Once the diaphragm is relaxed the lungs are filled with air and the abdomen bulges out.
3.
Blow out the air vigorously, making a swooshing sound in three parts: “S – S – SSS”.
4.Relax the diaphragm and allow the lungs to gently fill with air. Don’t take in more air.
Repeat 10 times and breathe calmly for 20 seconds.
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Do 2 sets with 10 repetitions each.
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BREATH-HOLD EXERCISE
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 the first minute. When you hear the signal, fill your lungs almost completely.
3.Follow the breath-hold instructions in the video. During the breathing phases, focus on diaphragmatic breathing.
4.
Try to describe the sensation of the breath-hold out loud immediately after your final breath-hold.
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Learning breath-holding strengthens your respiratory muscles and activates your respiratory system.
If the exercises feel difficult, that’s okay. You can continue progressing through the training program at your own pace.
Remember to do the exercises gently. Don’t try to hold your breath for as long as possible.
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Can you recognize the sensation that made you start breathing again? Did you end your breath-hold at this sensation?
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