MONTH 5
Breath
YOUR CHALLENGE
Do a conscious breathing exercise every day
"Regardless of what we eat, how much we exercise, how resilient our genes are, how slim, young or smart we are - none of it will matter if we don't breathe properly."
Breath: New knowledge about the forgotten art of breathing by James Nestor
THEREFORE BREATHING EXERCISES
Breath and our nerves
Our breathing has a decisive influence on how we feel. With our breathing, we have a valuable tool to specifically influence our current state. For example, breathing exercises can help to reduce stress as they activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which leads to a relaxation response. The relaxing effect of breathing exercises can also help to lower blood pressure. They also improve cognitive function by enhancing concentration and memory, and they contribute to an overall sense of calm and well-being. These multiple benefits make breathing exercises a valuable practice for general health promotion.
CHALLENGE
Take time every day to do breathing exercises. A few minutes are often enough. Below are 5 different exercises that you can integrate into your daily routine as required. Pay attention to your body and feel how the different breathing techniques affect your mental and physical state.
Don't forget to take your supplements from epigenics® every morning when you get up.
Exercise
- Can be done sitting, standing or lying down.
- Close your eyes.
- Breathe in through your nose and fill your lungs until you have reached 80-90% of your lung volume. Make sure you fill the volume of your abdomen first and only fill your chest towards the end of the inhalation.
- Hold your breath for 5 seconds at the end of the inhalation. Then let the breath out through your nose and relax.
- Breathe out until you feel the impulse to breathe in.
- Return to your normal breathing rhythm and take a moment to feel into your body. Has anything changed?
- Repeat the process as often as you like.
Effect
Increases awareness of your body. Brings your nervous system into a parasympathetic, i.e. relaxed, state with minimal effort.
Best time of day
Whenever you want to come back to yourself after stressful situations.
Exercise
- Sit or lie down on the floor.
- Close your eyes.
- Start to breathe deeply into your stomach through your nose for 4 seconds and breathe out through your nose for 4 seconds.
- Repeat this rhythm 8-10 times.
- Then start to increase your exhalation to 8 seconds while keeping the inhalation at 4 seconds.
- Repeat this rhythm 8-10 times.
- Then increase your exhalation to 12 seconds and repeat for another 8-10 times.
- Finally, increase your exhalation to 16 seconds and repeat this rhythm 8-10 times.
Effect
Brings your body into a relaxed state and shuts down your nervous system.
Best time of day
After work or just before going to bed. Perfect for people who have difficulty falling asleep.
Exercise
- Can be performed sitting, standing or lying down.
- Close your eyes.
- Inhale deeply into the abdomen through the nose for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 4 seconds with full lungs, exhale through the nose for 4 seconds and then hold the breath for 4 seconds with empty lungs.
- Repeat this rhythm at least 10 times.
Effect
Reduces tension and stress in the body, promotes concentration and mindfulness and improves heart rate variability.
Best time of day
Before stressful situations such as meetings or exams
Exercise
- Sit on a chair or take a cushion and sit on the floor.
- Close your eyes.
- Place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest.
- Take a deep breath.
- Then start to exhale briefly and sharply through your nose (also known as fire breathing in yoga). Your abdomen should move towards your spine. Actively use your abdominal muscles to push the air out of your lungs.
- The inhalation is automatic and relaxed, and the abdomen should relax briefly and move away from the spine.
- Continue breathing in this rhythm for 30 seconds.
- After the 30 seconds, take a deep, approaching breath and return to natural breathing for 10-20 seconds before starting the process from the beginning two more times.
Effect
Increases vitality and energy, sharpens concentration, strengthens your respiratory system and lung capacity, improves oxygen uptake in the cells as the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide is improved.
Best time of day
Whenever you need an energy boost, e.g. in the morning or afternoon. Should be practiced on an empty stomach.
Exercise
- Sit on a chair or take a cushion and sit on the floor.
- Close your eyes.
- Take one or two breaths to relax.
- Then breathe deeply through your nose into your abdomen.
- For the entire length of your exhalation, let a low to medium humming sound be heard in your throat.
- Feel how the sound waves gently vibrate your tongue, teeth and sinuses.
- Imagine your entire brain vibrating with the sound (it really does).
- Do this practice for six breaths and then return to your normal breathing with your eyes closed.
- Observe whether anything has changed.
Effect
Humming releases a powerful molecule, nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a vasodilator. This means that it facilitates blood flow in the body. However, humming also influences other bodily functions as it stimulates the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is a major component of the parasympathetic nervous system. It transmits information to and from the brain to numerous organs in the body and therefore influences things like sensory and motor functions, mood, digestion and heart rate.
Best time of day
Can be practiced at any time of day. Humming is particularly suitable in moments when you want to connect more strongly with your body.
Health benefits of breathing exercises
Breathing exercises have a long tradition, for example in the form of pranayama in yoga. But various scientific studies have also repeatedly shown that breathing exercises have enormous potential for our health. Here are some scientifically proven benefits of breathing exercises:
Reduces stress and anxiety : one of the main benefits of breathing exercises is the reduction of stress and anxiety. Breathing exercises can help end the stress cycle and stop the fight-or-flight response after stressful situations. As a method of mindfulness, it also helps to anchor in the present and calm the nervous system (study).
Boosts energy and the immune system: Another benefit of regular breathing exercises is the increase in energy and the immune system. The immune system contributes significantly to health, and the way we breathe has a greater influence on it than is often assumed. Breathing exercises allow more oxygen uptake, which strengthens the cells (article).
Lowers blood pressure and improves circulation: Breathing exercises have also been shown to be very effective in improving blood pressure. They can also improve blood circulation in the body and help in the treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure) (article).
Helps with pain management: Deep breathing is also recognized as a popular method for pain management. Many breathing techniques induce a sense of relaxation in stressful or uncomfortable situations and provide a distraction method. This contributes to a positive mood change, which is beneficial for those in physical pain (study).
Improves your sleep: Regular breathing exercises can help to better regulate your energy levels and support a healthy sleep-wake cycle (study).
Boosts your focus and attention: Breathing exercises can calm our emotions and allow us to better engage with what's in front of us (study).
(1) Start slowly: Make sure that you can be undisturbed for the duration of the breathing exercises.
(2) Somatic stimuli: Other somatic stimuli, such as music, can help to make the breathing exercises even more relaxing. Here are two playlists with particularly calming music: Singing bowls, Melodic, instrumental music
(3) Relaxation: Make sure that you are lying, sitting or walking in a relaxed position during the breathing exercises. Relax everything that does not need to be tense. Make sure that you are warm enough.
(4) Light: Pay attention to soft light. This can also help you to relax and come back to yourself.
(5) Everyday life: If you don't have time on a particular day, try to become aware of your breathing throughout the day. Try to breathe through your nose as often as possible and send your breath deep into your abdomen.
Regulation of the nervous system: Breathing exercises help to control the state of our nervous system. The ingredients contained in Zell Boost, such as niacinamide, folic acid, biotin and vitamin B12, can also help to support nerve function and reduce stress, thus providing additional support for breathing exercises.
Support for pain management: Breathing exercises can help to alleviate physical pain. Hyaluronic acid is contained in both Zell Boost and Kollagen Plus and effectively moisturizes the whole body, which can particularly help to relieve pain in the joints.
Promoting focus and attention: Breathing exercises help to sharpen our concentration. This is further supported by the B vitamins contained in Zell Boost. Spermidine has also been shown to have a positive effect on our cognitive health.
Further resources on the topic of breathing exercises
Perspectives in Psychiatric Care: The Effectiveness of Diaphragmatic Breathing Relaxation Training for Reducing Anxiety
Dr. Michael Gelb: Does the way you breathe affect your immune system?
Vital Heart and Vein: Breathing Techniques to Lower Blood Pressure
Pain Medicine: The effect of deep and slow breathing on pain perception, autonomic activity, and mood processing-an experimental study
Trinity College Dublin: The Yogi masters were right - breathing exercises can sharpen your mind
The health-promoting practices outlined here are based on scientific findings. However, every person is different. If you feel uncomfortable with any of the challenges, you are free to skip them at any time. If you have any questions about your personal health, we recommend that you contact your doctor.
BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL
6th month: Nutrition
More energy, a sunny mood, no cravings and glowing skin. By controlling your blood sugar levels with our simple but effective tricks, you can get all these benefits in one go.
