Breathe to Relax and Cool Down – Learn 5 Techniques to Help You Do So

5 breathing techniques to use for relaxation and cooling

I. Breathing through the lower-rib (diaphragmatic) track
You can easily learn to breathe this way by placing your hands on your lower ribs, you can then feel their movement under your palms.

1. Sit with your spine straight or stand, distributing your body weight evenly on both legs.
2. Place your hands on your waist.
3. Then move them up a few centimeters, you will feel the first lower ribs.
4. Arrange your hands so that your thumbs are pointing backward and the other four fingers of your hands are embracing the ribs in front.
5. Lift your shoulders up for a moment, tighten them, and then consciously relax them and leave them completely relaxed throughout the exercise.
6. Begin to freely and slowly guide the breaths into your hands. Make sure not to tighten your chest or shoulders.
7. As you inhale, you can gently press your palms together to intensify the sensations in the rib rim.
8. Perform 6 to 12 breaths in this way.
9. Relax your hands and lower your arms along your body. Take a few more breaths through the lower-rib track without the help of your hands.

It is important to breathe calmly, slightly lengthening the exhale. Repeating this pattern while doing any exercise (yoga or fitness) will make it a habit.

II. Sitali breath
This is a typical cooling breathing technique. It is ideal especially on hot days and after a demanding yoga practice.

1. Sit in a comfortable position with your spine straight.
2. Close your eyes and relax.
3. Roll the tongue into a tube.
4. Take a slow, deep breath into your abdomen (through the “tube”).
5. Then stick your cool tongue to your palate and very slowly let the air out through your nose.
6. Perform at least 8 such breaths, and you will certainly notice a pleasant cooling sensation starting in the mouth and spreading throughout the body.
7. If you can’t make a full tongue tube... no problem! Even a gently curled or quite straight tongue exposed to the outside, on the inhale, will cool you.

Effects of Sitali breath:

• lowers fever,
• stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system,
• promotes muscle relaxation,
• supports mental tranquility,
• reduces inflammation,
• directly affects the areas of the brain responsible for temperature regulation.

III. Three-dimensional breathing – Bartenieff breath support

To deepen your awareness of 360° breathing, you can try one more way of breathing – relaxing and helping to build body awareness. The breath – derived from developmental patterns according to Irmgard Bartenieff – is commonly referred to as three-dimensional breathing. It involves consciously, gradually guiding air into three regions of the body: the pelvis and lower abdomen, the rib rim and the chest. The purpose of this breathing is to feel the whole body three-dimensionally expand on the inhale and softly relax, falling downward (against gravity), on the exhale. It is best practiced while lying on the back in shavasana (a relaxation position while lying on the back that is usually performed at the end of the practice – you can read more about it HERE).

1. Lie down comfortably on your back. If your head tilts back too far, tuck a blanket underneath to lengthen the back of your neck.
2. Relax your legs, pelvis, chest and head, feel the weight of your body. Take two deep breaths and allow yourself to sigh with each exhale.
3. Return to normal breathing and observe the movement in your body that occurs as you inhale and exhale.
4. Place your hands on your stomach, feel them rise and fall with each inhale and exhale. Invite your breath consciously into the pit of your abdomen, so as to expand the navel area, hips, and with the exhale, watch your abdomen softly descend on its own.
5. With your next breath, feel the lower back area expand in addition to your abdomen.
6. Now put your hands on your lower ribs. You will notice the same expansion movement in this area of the body. Allow the ribs to float upward, expanding laterally, creating more space between them. Also feel movement in the rear lower ribs, now supported on the floor. The three-dimensional inhale expands the lower ribs, while exhale relaxes the whole body.
7. Now focus on the chest. On the inhale, let the sternum rise upward. Feel movement in the armpit area, between the shoulder blades and at the top of the lungs, just above the clavicles.
8. With the inhale, three-dimensionally expand your chest; with the exhale, relax your whole body.

It is known that relaxation is an excellent method for calming and regulating the nervous system. However, not everyone knows that it also has a cooling effect. This is because blood pressure is lowered when lying down and breathing quietly. That’s why it’s a good idea to combine breathing with one or two relaxing yoga poses that will prepare the body – pre-quiet and, for example, further open the chest. For examples of yoga poses, see the article “Yoga Practice for Hot Weather – Five Cooling Yoga Poses to Beat the Heat”.

IV. Quick breathing techniques
These are ways/techniques that you can easily apply anytime, anywhere. We don’t always have the time or conditions for a more complex practice. In such situations, the following two suggestions will come to our aid:

4:6 breathing
This type of breathing does not require a particularly long time or even space. You can use it, for example, while riding a bus or other means of transport. It involves lengthening the exhale. If you count to four on the inhale, try to lengthen the exhale by counting to six. Gradually, you can modify this exercise, increasingly lengthening the exhale, such as 4:8 or 6:12.

Anuloma viloma
Alternate breathing is not typically cooling, but it can certainly help calm the nervous system, especially if you use the exhale lengthening mentioned above. Few people realize that they don’t actually breathe through both nostrils on a daily basis. In practice, we always breathe more through one of them. Alternate breathing is the technique most recommended for people who have problems with falling asleep and sleep patterns. Practicing it has a positive impact on synchronization of the brain hemispheres, increases concentration and reduces blood pressure. It is very simple and easy to remember. Just imagine that your nose is a closed circuit. You inhale the air through one nostril, then let it out through the other.

1. Sit comfortably and straighten up.
2. Cover the right nostril with your thumb. Make a deep inhale through your left nostril, then, covering your left nostril with your ring finger, let the air out through your right nostril.
3. Make an inhale through the right nostril. When exhaling, cover the right nostril with your thumb again and let the air out through the left one.
4. Focus on keeping your breathing steady and the whole process in the following cycle: inhale, shift, exhale, inhale, shift, exhale.

A remedy for hot weather

Relaxation and breathing. Proper breathing not only contributes to good health, but can also help regulate body temperature and avoid overheating. I encourage you to practice conscious breathing in nature in the shade of a spreading tree. However, if you practice indoors, be sure to air it out beforehand to ensure good air circulation. Relaxation exercises help reduce stress and support proper functioning of the nervous system and digestive system in addition to lowering blood pressure and cooling the body. Add to that proper hydration and a good holiday, and the heat will no longer be so terrible.

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_References:

_{1. P. McKeown, „Jak oddychać, aby być zdrowym. Metoda Butejki”, 2015.}

_{2. P. Hackney, „Making Connections: Total Body Integration Through Bartenieff Fundamentals”, wyd. Gordon and Breach, 2000.}

_{3. www.taniecpolska.pl.}

_{4. www.sutrajoga.pl.}

_{5. www.portalyogi.pl.}