Stressful lifestyles and poor health habits can lead to weakened lung capacity, which can increase the risk of lung diseases like asthma, bronchitis, and even lung cancer.

However, incorporating some breathing exercises into your daily routine can improve the strength and function of your lungs, enhance your overall physical fitness, and reduce stress and anxiety levels. In this article, we will discuss some exercises that you can do to increase your lung capacity and improve your wellbeing.

Deep Breathing Exercises

Deep breathing is one of the simplest yet most effective exercises to improve lung capacity and relieve stress. It involves taking slow, deep breaths in through your nose and exhaling gently through your mouth.

Here are steps to help you perform deep breathing:.

1. Find a comfortable and quiet place to sit or lie down and relax your body.
2. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose for about four seconds, making sure your belly expands as you breathe in.
3. Hold your breath for a few seconds, then exhale slowly through your mouth for about six seconds, sucking your belly in as you exhale.
4. Repeat the deep breathing exercise for 5-10 minutes daily, gradually increasing the time as you get comfortable with it.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing is another effective exercise that can help boost lung capacity and relieve stress. The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity.

When we breathe in, it contracts and flattens downwards, increasing the space in the chest cavity for the lungs to expand. Here’s how to do diaphragmatic breathing:.

1. Lie down on a flat surface or sit upright with your back straight and feet firmly flat on the ground.
2. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your lower belly, just above your navel.
3. Inhale slowly through your nose, expanding your belly and feeling the air fill your lungs.
4. Hold your breath briefly, then exhale slowly through your mouth, feeling your belly move inwards as you exhale.
5. Repeat the exercise for 5-10 minutes daily, substituting your chest hand for your belly hand to know if you are breathing deeply enough.

Pursed Lip Breathing

Pursed lip breathing is a breathing exercise that can help improve lung function and ease shortness of breath. It involves inhaling through your nose and then exhaling through your mouth with pursed lips, as if you are blowing out a candle.

Here are the steps for pursed lip breathing:.

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1. Sit or stand upright, with your shoulders relaxed and breathe in gently through your nose for about two seconds.
2. Purse your lips as if you’re about to blow out a candle and slowly exhale through your mouth for about four seconds.
3. Repeat the exercise for 5-10 minutes daily, gradually increasing the duration of your exhales as you get comfortable with the exercise.

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Alternate nostril breathing is a breathing exercise used in yoga that promotes deep relaxation, relieves stress, and enhances lung function.

It involves inhaling through one nostril while closing the other and exhaling through the closed nostril while inhaling through the other nostril. Here’s how to do alternate nostril breathing:.

1. Sit upright with your back straight and eyes closed, resting your left hand on your left knee.
2. Place your right thumb on your right nostril and inhale through your left nostril for about four seconds.
3. Close your left nostril with your right ring finger and gently exhale through your right nostril for about six seconds.
4. Inhale through your right nostril while still blocking your left nostril.
5. Close your right nostril with your right thumb and exhale through your left nostril.
6. Repeat the cycle several times, closing and opening the nostrils alternatively and breathing deeply through each nostril.
7. Finish with an exhale through your left nostril, rest for a few seconds, and then repeat the cycle again, starting with your left nostril.

Yoga Breathing Exercises

Yoga breathing exercises, also known as pranayama, are an effective way to improve lung capacity, balance energy levels, and reduce stress.

Yoga breathing exercises involve a wide range of techniques, including deep breathing, alternate nostril breathing (mentioned earlier), and kapalbhati (a breathing exercise that involves rapid, forceful exhales through your nose while inhaling passively). Here are some yoga breathing techniques to try:.

• Bhastrika breathing: Sit upright with your back straight and inhale deeply through your nose. Exhale forcefully, letting your breath out in a series of short, sharp bursts as you tense your stomach muscles.
• Ujjayi breathing: Sit comfortably with your back straight and breathe in deeply through your nose while constricting the muscles in the back of your throat. Hold your breath for a few seconds, then exhale through your nose with the same throat constriction, making a soft, ocean-like sound.
• Sheetali breathing: Sit comfortably with your back straight, curl your tongue so that it forms an O-shape, and stick it out slightly from your mouth. Inhale air through your tongue, filling your lungs, then close your mouth and exhale through your nose, making a soft hissing sound.

These are just a few of the many yoga breathing exercises you can try to improve your lung capacity, relieve stress, and enhance your overall wellbeing.

Conclusion

Breathing exercises are an easy way to boost your lung capacity, reduce stress and anxiety levels, and improve your physical fitness.

Incorporating some of the exercises discussed in this article into your daily routine can help you experience improved lung function, better focus, and more peace and relaxation. Remember to practice each exercise regularly and make them a part of your healthy habits.