Deep breathing has been proven to help with wellbeing tremendously. From slowing the ageing process to boosting your immune system, people often underestimate the benefits that breathing can bring. According to a study by Dr. Chris Streeter, it is even said to help anxiety and depression. The study concluded that people who had depressive disorders and carried out deep breathing along with daily yoga for a 12 week period, saw a massive reduction in symptoms.
Breathing deeply slows down the release of cortisol, a stress hormone, which is why there is a link between stress and breathing. Stress heightens the symptoms of anxiety and depression, which is why breathing is said to help with this.
There are 3 types of deep breathing; coherent breathing, resistance breathing and breath moving.
Coherent breathing involves breathing at a rate of 5 breaths per minute. It is suggested that this can be achieved if you count to 5 inhaling and count to 5 exhaling.
Resistance breathing is used to strengthen your muscles that are used in respiration. This type of breathing is common in yoga, tai chi and karate. Breathe out of your nose rather than your mouth, this is said to cause resistance.
Breath moving is the practice of moving breath around your body. Each time you breathe in, the breath should be moved to the top of your head, and when breathing out move it to the bottom of your back.
*http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/therese-borchard-sanity-break/get-a-hold-of-yourself-3-kinds-of-deep-breathing/
*http://www.care2.com/greenliving/1410137.html
