15 Benefits of Long Deep Breathing

15 Benefits of Long Deep Breathing

When you are short of wisdom, breathe.”  Guru Nanak

One of the very best things you can do for your health is long, deep conscious breathing.  As an exercise, breathing is wonderful!  Breathing is free, it requires no additional equipment, you can do it anytime, and it can be practiced by everyone, from the very healthy to the very sick.

Kundalini yoga places a large emphasis on the breath, and breath work is component of every kundalini yoga practice.

One of the most fundamental types of breathing we use is long, deep breathing. This is a breath in which you pull the air from your belly and try to slow your breathing down to one to four cycles per minute.  Below are some of the many benefits of this simple breath.

1.    Long Deep Breathing Detoxifies and Releases Toxins

Your body is designed to release 70% of its toxins through breathing. If you are not breathing effectively, you are not properly eliminating toxins from your body.  When you exhale air from your body you release carbon dioxide that has been passed through from your bloodstream into your lungs. Carbon dioxide is a natural waste of your body’s metabolism.

2. Long Deep Breathing Releases Tension

Think how your body feels when you are tense, angry, scared or stressed. It constricts. Your muscles get tight and your breathing becomes shallow. When your breathing is shallow you are not getting the amount of oxygen that your body needs. Long deep breathing reverses this process, allowing your body (and mind) to become more expansive.

3. Long Deep Breathing Relaxes the Mind/Body and Brings Clarity

Increasing the oxygen to the brain reduces excessive anxiety levels. Pay attention to your breathing. Breathe slowly, deeply and purposefully into your body. Notice any places in your body that are tight and breathe into them. As you relax your body, you may find that the breathing brings you clarity and insights.

4. Long Deep Breathing Helps to Relieve Emotional Problems

Long deep breathing helps to clear uneasy feelings out of your body. Energy and past emotional scarring gets trapped in our bodies.  Long deep breathing is one method to help heal and release these energy blockages.

5. Long Deep Breathing Helps to Relieves Pain.

Studies show that breathing into your pain helps to ease it.

6. Long Deep Breathing Massages Your Organs

The movements of the diaphragm during the deep breathing exercise massages the stomach, small intestine, liver and pancreas. The upper movement of the diaphragm also massages the heart. When you inhale air your diaphragm descends and your abdomen expands. By this action you massage vital organs and improves circulation in them. Controlled breathing also strengthens and tones your abdominal muscles.

7. Long Deep Breathing Increases Muscle

Breathing is the oxygenation process for all of the cells in your body. An increase supply of oxygen increases your body’s ability to build muscle.

8. Long Deep Breathing Strengthens the Immune System

Oxygen travels through your bloodstream by attaching to hemoglobin in your red blood cells. When the oxygen level increases, it improves your body’s ability to metabolize nutrients and vitamins, strengthening the nervous system.

9. Long Deep Breathing Strengthens the Nervous System

When the brain, spinal cord and nerves receive increased oxygen, they are more nourished. This improves the health of the whole body, since the nervous system communicates to all parts of the body.

10. Long Deep Breathing Strengthen the Lungs

As you breathe deeply, the lungs become more healthy and powerful, a good preventative measure against respiratory problems.

11. Proper Breathing Makes the Heart Stronger.

Breathing exercises reduce the workload on the heart in two ways. First, deep breathing leads to more efficient lungs. Strong lungs bring more oxygen to the blood. This blood goes to the heart where it sent out to the other tissues. With healthy blood, the heart doesn’t need to work as hard to deliver oxygen to the tissues.  Second, deep breathing leads to an increase in circulation, meaning the heart doesn’t need to work as hard to distribute the blood.

12. Proper Breathing Assists in Weight Control


13. Long Deep Breathing Boosts Energy Levels and Improves Stamina

Increased oxygen boosts your energy levels and increases your stamina.

14. Long Deep Breathing Improves Cellular Regeneration

Increased oxygen improves cell regeneration.

15.  Breathing Elevates Moods

Long deep breathing increases pleasure-inducing neurochemicals in the brain to elevate moods and combat physical pain.

by Lynn Roulo

inspired by  http://www.onepowerfulword.com

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