Welcome to part three of our series "Breathe"!
A worldwide poll conducted by the World Health Organization found that 62% of respondents feel an increasing sense of threat due to the oncoming pandemic. With the world entering yet another round of lockdowns and Hong Kong experiencing its 5th wave of COVID, What is a good way to deal with this stress?
We have found that people who have had a hard time properly managing their stress because they were unaware of how to do it. Breathing exercises can be an effective supplemental tool because they can be done anywhere and are inexpensive. A growing number of people are turning to breathe exercises in order to cope with the stress of living in a world facing a pandemic. In this article, we will introduce one of our favorite breathing exercises for managing stress and dealing with feelings of uncertainty. In addition, we have a special surprise to provide you with an additional tool that you can use in the comfort of your own home to promote calm and relaxation.
At Health Wise, we strive to deliver valuable information to our community both online and in-person! Providing you with simple tips and exercises to practice at home in your free time! If you're looking for even more general health tips be sure to check out the Healthy Living section of our blog!
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Let's get started on the article!
Article Contents:
Belly Breathing
“If you ever watch children sleep, they all breathe from the belly and not the chest. This relaxed state is the more normal way to breathe” says Dr. Katherine Rosa of the Harvard-affiliated Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine.
Unfortunately, most of us are chest breathers. Chest breathing is how we react to stress when we sense a threat and our fight-or-flight response is triggered. Our biology has not kept up with our technology, and the perceived threats today can come from an unexpected notification, an email, or even a traffic jam.
We are surrounded by so many stressors that we are constantly bombarded into a state of constant tension. Our breathing races ahead at a rapid pace to suck in extra oxygen to deal with the stress, but our stress response never turns off, and we often don’t even notice it.
Belly breathing for stress relief can be wildly effective, like laying on the beach after a long day of sunbathing. Belly breathing stimulates the vagus nerve. This activates your relaxation response, reducing your heart rate and blood pressure as well as lowering stress levels.
Get Ready
We'll complete your belly breathing with a relaxing soundscape to make the process even more enjoyable. Completely relax and unwind with our ambient background music, perfect for creating calm and relaxation.
Start playing our music video below or visit this Youtube link directly and let's get started on the next section.
How to do Belly Breathing?
Belly breathing is easy to do and very relaxing. Try this basic exercise anytime you need to relax or relieve stress. Stop what you're doing and take a few deep breaths from the abdomen, not from the chest.
Slowly get into a comfortable position (we recommend to lie flat on the ground)
Place one hand on your belly just below your ribs and the other hand on your chest.
Take your time with each breath.
Breathe deeply through your nose.
Allow your belly to push your hand out. Your chest should not move.
Breathe out through pursed lips as if you were whistling.
Feel the hand on your belly go in
Use the hand on your belly o push all the air out.
Do this for 10 breaths each time.
Repeat 3 times daily
Take note of how you feel at the end of the exercise.
When you feel the need for relief from stress we would like to encourage you to try these breathing exercises along with our relaxation music to help bring about calm.
Start by taking five minutes out of your day to belly breathe with the help of some of our relaxation music. These tools can be a great way for you to start feeling more relaxed on a daily basis. It is important to take a proactive approach to your health.
Health Wise Chinese Medicine Clinic
We can try to manage conditions ourselves, however, sometimes you may want to seek professional help for the best results.
Herbal remedies, therapeutic massages, and acupuncture are natural solutions towards affecting change in our body.
At HealthWise, our professional team of practitioners will work together with you to create a custom solution to suit your condition and your body's needs. Come and see us today!
For inquiries. you can follow this link here. Alternatively, you can call 2526 7908 or email info@chinesemed.hk.
Learn More About Chinese Medicine
Visit our Health Wise Blog, we have a number of informative articles to help our patients. Here's a series of articles that we think may be beneficial:
Breathe (Part 1) The Importance Of Breathing On Your Health
Breathe (Part 2) A Simple Breathing Technique
We aim to continue to provide more useful Traditional Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture information at our Health Wise Chinese Medicine's Newsletter page.
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