Each breath you take does more than just supply you of oxygen; it also gives you movement, pulsation, and vibration. Because of these things, the breathing cycle gives you life and the ability to inhale the energy of mother Earth, giving you the vital energy to survive and do work. This vital energy is stored in the molecule of oxygen.
The Health and Energy Benefits of Breathing Exercises
Practicing breathing exercises in nature is more important than ever, because of our stressful and unhealthy lifestyles. These breathing exercises can reduce the harmful effects of stress. Furthermore, they can prevent stress from causing emotional and mental issues. Common stress related health problems are sleeping and eating disorders, drug and alcohol addiction, low self-esteem, and fatigue.
Besides reducing the harmful effects of stress, practicing proper breathing exercises in nature can prevent carbon dioxide (CO2) buildup in your body. Your body releases CO2 through the metabolism process. In normal levels, CO2 does not cause your blood to become acidic, but in high levels it can increase your risk of acidosis (acidic blood).
Some of the health problems related to acidosis are chronic fatigue, premature aging, immunodeficiency disorders, and cancer. To learn how to prevent acidosis, read this informative article titled Acidic Blood and Health Problems.
Breathing Exercises are Great for Boosting Your Energy
Practicing breathing exercises is great for increasing the oxygen levels in your body, which is important for increasing energy and health. It is best to practice breathing exercises outside in areas that have a lot of plant life. The image below is a great example of a peaceful place surrounded with the creations of nature to practice breathing exercises. Avoid practicing them in big cities that have air pollution.
To improve the health benefits of breathing exercises, combine them with mediation techniques. Doing this will help you relax even more, making it easier for you to connect your body and mind to nature.
How to Practice Breathing Exercises
Before practicing breathing exercises outdoors, make sure you are properly dressed. Find a quiet area to sit on and make yourself comfortable. Once your are comfortable, close your eyes, relax your mind, and take deep and slow breathes. Pay attention to how it feels when each breath fills your lungs with oxygen (the energy nutrient of mother Earth).
You should practice breathing exercises for at least 15 minutes a few times every week. If you have time, practice them for an hour. Each time you practice breathing exercises properly, you will notice a change in your mood and reduction in stress. The best breathes to relax your mind are deep and slow breathes.
To enhances the health benefits of breathing exercises to a whole new level, pay attention to how the environment makes you feel along with how each breath nourishes your lungs with healing energy. For example, pay attention to how it feels when the wind brushes your hair and the sunlight massages your skin. Pay attention to the natural smell and sound of nature. Also, make sure you are in contact with the soil, grass, or something natural that is connected to the ground of mother Earth. Doing these things will help strengthen your connection to nature.
To strengthen your connection to nature even more, guide your awareness into your heart and stay in that peaceful place for a few minutes or as long as you like. The heart is the doorway to Universal Love and Infinite Consciousness. In other words, it is the main organ that connects us to Nature. The heart is not just an organ that pumps blood, because it can think and feel, which is why certain neurocardiologists named it the fifth brain.
Once you are good at practicing breathing exercises and meditating in nature, you will start to feel a strong connection to nature when you do these exercises. This feeling is a warming, loving, and peaceful feeling that you can never experience by living a busy and stressful lifestyle. This feeling often makes me feel like I am being reborn again as a baby; innocent, curious, and full of joy!
Sources:
- http://www.stress.org/stress-effects/
- http://mhhe.com/biosci/ap/foxhumphys/student/olc/u-reading1.html
