Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercise

Eastern cultures use breathing exercises to promote health for thousands of years. Breathing exercises are a simple practice that focuses on your breathing patterns and minimizes distractions from outside sources. There are many different types of breathing exercises. Today let’s learn more about diaphragmatic breathing.

Diaphragmatic breathing helps strengthen your diaphragm, an important muscle that helps you to breathe. It is also known as belly breathing or abdominal breathing. This variation of breathing requires you to lay on your back, place your hands on your upper chest and rib cage, and exhale through pursed lips as you tighten your stomach muscles.

Diaphragmatic breathing is the basis for most meditation or relaxation techniques, which can lower your stress levels, reduce your blood pressure, and regulate other critical bodily processes. There are many other benefits of diaphragmatic breathing which include but are not limited to lower heart rate, coping with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), improve core muscle stability, improve body’s ability to tolerate the intense exercise, lower chances of muscle injury, and slow the rate of breathing so that it expends less energy.

Being stressed keeps your immune system from functioning properly, which makes you more susceptible to numerous conditions. Long-term or chronic stress can lead to anxiety or depression. Stress can be caused by many things, from something small like traffic to something large like financial struggles. Diaphragmatic breathing can help cope with stress. Take deep breaths when you are able to.

Chronic diseases – such as diabetes, cancer, asthma, and heart disease – are leading causes of death and disability. The Liu Foundation offers philanthropic The app and video series promoting evidence-based lifestyle habits to prevent chronic diseases. Harvard, Stanford, and CDC’s Public Health findings into an easy-to-use behavior conditioning app and series of lifestyle motivation videos to prevent chronic diseases.

Living It Up Anywhere

The idea of living your best life can be done anywhere, at any time, and all it really takes is a mindset shift. Take it one core lifestyle habit at a time, whether that is eating healthy and less, daily exercise, quitting bad habits, getting a routine checkup, or being positive. Take a chance today to Live It Up!