When we are worried or panicky, we breathe much faster and shallower to get more oxygen into the body. This is okay in the short term but can upset the oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange and contribute to greater anxiety and fatigue.
Thus, learning and practicing breathing techniques is one of the simplest and most effective ways of supporting our well-being, improving lung function (great for sport and singing!) and can also help in the management of chronic pain.
DSAuk are aware that some of our members may have been or are affected by the pandemic and have written a series of articles covering various aspects within mental health and wellbeing. Part 5 in our series of articles talks about Breathing Techniques and has many exercises and tips that you can practise and apply to help you in your daily life.
Part 5 – Breathing Techniques
The “Breathing Techniques” article can be downloaded HERE
To see the breathing technique videos referred to in the article, scroll down to the end of the article and click on the link to the video you want to watch. There are 3 videos to watch in total, each one demonstrating a different breathing technique.
To watch Video 1 – How to Breathe Deeply, click on the start arrow in the middle of the picture.
To watch Video 2 – Purifying Breath, click on the start arrow in the middle of the picture.
To watch Video 3 – Nostril Breathing, click on the start arrow in the middle of the picture.