Three exercises to improve respiratory health
Here are three safe and easy breathing exercises that will improve your respiratory health.
Exercise #1
This exercise helps cleanse the nasal passages.
- Close your right nostril with your right index finger.
- Inhale and exhale through your left nostril.
- Imagine your breath is a steam engine picking up steam, breathing deeper and deeper breaths.
- Repeat with your left index finger closing your left nostril, breathing through the right nostril.
Exercise #2
This exercise teaches you how to inhale incrementally.
- Place your palms together in front of your chest.
- Imagine breathing the air like you would sip a cup of tea.
- Take a small inhale, pause, inhale a bit more, pause, and finally inhale one last little bit.
- Hold your breath and savor it!
- Exhale deeply.
- Repeat at your leisure.
Exercise #3
This exercise teaches you to inflate to your full lung capacity.
- Place your palms together in front of your chest.
- Imagine your lungs are a balloon.
- Inhale and count to one while you hold your breath. Exhale.
- Inhale and count to two while you hold your breath. Exhale.
- Inhale and count to three while you hold your breath. Exhale.
- Inhale and count to four while you hold your breath. Exhale.
- Inhale and count to five while you hold your breath. Exhale.
Your lungs are a balloon that can grow and grow. With practice, you can inflate your lungs with life-giving oxygen much more than you'd think!
Charlie Higgins is affectionately known at many Holiday Retirement communities as "Yoga Charlie." Charlie a graduate of Reed College and a certified yoga instructor. Charlie specializes in yoga for retirees and he teaches at a number of Holiday communities in the Portland, Oregon area. His classes focus on range-of-motion, peripheral awareness, balance and breathing. As a guest author for Holiday Retirement, Charlie is excited to share fun, safe and easy tips for senior health & wellness. Explore more exercises by Charlie. or visit his website: www.samdhyayoga.com.