breathing techniques Archives

June 24, 2025 By Palak Mittal 3 Comments

Living well with regular Yoga and good Nutrition

Yoga is not simply a set of exercises but a lifestyle. When practising yoga, asanas and nutrition go hand in hand to improve your quality of life. Your digestive system, immunity and energy levels are directly linked to the food you intake. If there is a problem with any of these, yoga asanas can help resolve it.

Digestion: Not all food is easy to digest. Instead of popping laxatives and antacids after every meal, change the food you’re eating. Citrus fruits and leafy vegetables that are rich in fibre aid digestion and prevent constipation. Some foods like yoghurt, buttermilk are probiotics that support the growth of gut bacteria and keep your stomach healthy. Also include carminatives or foods that prevent the formation of gas like cumin, ginger and oatmeal.

Yogic Asanas such as the Spinal twist, Apanasana and Paschimottanasana can help smoothen the digestive process.

Immunity: Eating the right food can help boost your immunity. Citrus fruits are rich sources of vitamin C that directly strengthen the immune system. Herbs like turmeric, ginger and garlic are rich in antioxidants and linked to the prevention of a number of diseases including several types of Cancer. Proteins also help nourish your immune system and hence should not be ignored.

A combination of asanas and yogic breathing techniques can help boost your immunity. Some asanas to try to include Viparita Karani, Bhujangasana, Matsyasana and Adho Mukha Svanasana. These poses help lower stress and boost immunity by pumping rich oxygenated blood to all the parts of the body.

Energy: The food you eat is turned into glucose to fuel the body and maintain a constant supply of energy. Soy and green leafy vegetables that are rich in iron can effectively boost your energy levels. Fruits like apples, bananas and oranges can also help increase your energy. Yoghurt rich in magnesium does not directly contribute towards the creation of glucose but helps the body release this energy whenever needed.

Yoga asanas help increase blood flow and increase the heart’s capacity to pump blood through the body. A few yoga poses that can boost energy are the camel pose, tree pose and warrior asana.

Relaxation: Sipping on a cup of green tea is a good way to end the day and relax. Other food like honey, milk, celery and oatmeal can also help calm the body and fight off the day’s stress. Apart from being delicious, dark chocolate also releases hormones that ease stress and help relax a person.

Practising yoga breathing techniques like Pranayama can effectively release tension. Supta Baddha Konasana, Viparita Karani and the Supta Matsyendrasana can also help increase energy levels.

We trust that this holistic approach to living well through yoga and good nutrition resonates with you. If you found these insights beneficial and have your own experiences or tips to share, we invite you to do so in the comments section below. For more articles and resources on enhancing your well-being through yoga and nutrition, explore our Healthy Reads. And, if you’re seeking personalised guidance and support on your journey to optimal health, consider subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health. Images shown are for representation purposes only and may not depict the exact recommendations or outcomes.

August 14, 2024 By Vandana Juneja Leave a Comment

Calming Your Mind: Breathing Techniques for ADHD

Many individuals with ADHD also contend with anxiety, which can profoundly impact their everyday activities. Anxiety symptoms often include an elevated heart rate, rapid breathing, and increased muscle tension. However, there are straightforward and effective methods to mitigate these effects, such as breathing exercises, which can be particularly beneficial for those with ADHD.

Breathing exercises are simple techniques that involve focusing on your breath to slow your heart rate, lower blood pressure, and relax muscle tension. Here, I’ll outline some easy breathing exercises designed to help manage anxiety effectively.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

This is also called belly breathing, this technique involves deep breathing into the abdomen to slow down your breathing and promote relaxation.

How to Do It:

Find a Comfortable Position: Lie on your back or sit on a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
Place Your Hands: Put one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.
Inhale Deeply: Breathe in slowly through your nose, feeling your belly rise.
Exhale Slowly: Breathe out through your mouth, feeling your belly fall.
Repeat: Do this for a few minutes, focusing on your breath and how your body moves.

This exercise helps to calm your mind and reduce anxiety by promoting deeper, slower breathing.

Box Breathing

Box breathing, or square breathing, uses a rhythmic pattern to help regulate breathing and calm the mind.

How to Do It:

Get Comfortable: Sit with your back straight and feet on the ground.
Inhale for 4 Counts: Breathe in through your nose for a count of four.
Hold for 4 Counts: Hold your breath for another four counts.
Exhale for 4 Counts: Breathe out through your mouth for four counts.
Hold for 4 Counts: Pause and hold your breath for four counts before starting again.
Repeat: Continue this pattern for a few minutes.

Box breathing helps slow down your breathing and can be particularly effective for reducing anxiety and improving focus.

Coherent Breathing

Coherent breathing aims to slow your breathing to a calm and steady rhythm, helping you feel more relaxed.

How to Do It:

Sit Comfortably: Sit with your back straight and shoulders relaxed.
Inhale for 5 Counts: Breathe in through your nose for five seconds.
Exhale for 6 Counts: Without pausing, exhale for six seconds.
Repeat: Continue this pattern for at least five minutes.

Start with shorter counts if five seconds feels too long, and gradually build up. This exercise helps lower your heart rate and reduces anxiety.

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Alternate nostril breathing balances the flow of energy and helps quiet the mind.

How to Do It:

Sit Upright: Find a comfortable position with your spine straight.
Use Your Right Hand: Place your index and middle fingers between your eyebrows.
Close Your Right Nostril: Use your thumb to close your right nostril.
Inhale Through Left Nostril: Breathe in slowly for four counts through your left nostril.
Switch and Exhale: Close your left nostril with your ring finger and exhale through your right nostril for four counts.
Repeat: Continue for at least five cycles.

This technique helps calm the mind and can be a useful tool for managing anxiety and improving focus.

Victory Breath (Ujjayi Breath)

Victory breath, also known as ocean breath, creates a soothing sound and helps calm the mind.

How to Do It:

Find a Comfortable Position: Sit with your spine straight and hands in your lap.
Close Your Mouth: Inhale through your nose for four counts, slightly constricting your throat to create a soft sound.
Pause: Hold the breath for a second at the top of the inhale.
Exhale Slowly: Exhale through your nose for six counts, maintaining the gentle constriction in your throat.
Repeat: Perform this for 5-10 repetitions.

The ocean-like sound can be very soothing, helping to reduce anxiety and promote a sense of calm.

Breathing exercises offer a simple yet powerful way to manage anxiety, particularly for those with ADHD. By focusing on your breath and practicing these techniques regularly, you can cultivate a calm mind and enjoy greater relaxation and well-being. Set aside a few minutes each day to practice these exercises and experience the many benefits they offer.

If you found these breathing techniques for managing ADHD helpful, let us know in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

December 9, 2023 By Trishala Chopra 1 Comment

Are you breathing properly?

Before I start with the article, I want my readers to try this.

Let’s do a quick breathing test.

– Keep your hands free.

– Keep one hand on your chest, one had on your belly.

– Start breathing naturally.

– Which hand is moving more?

Hand on the belly or Hand on the chest?

Do this test without reading ahead because it is important to do this without knowing the interpretation of the test.

Which hand was moving more?

If it’s your belly than its right way! That’s how one should breathe.

If it’s your chest than its alarming, you might be inviting health issues!

If you are not breathing properly, you might not feel good. In this busy world, breathing which is perhaps the only important thing, if we don’t do that properly then it’s a cause for concern. None of us is consciously breathing which is what is leading to health issues!

I have come across this very often. Every 3rd person I know is having stiffness. Some part of the body is stiff (a Few years back, this was my case too!).

Are you having neck stiffness?

Is your back, shoulder, hamstrings, lower back tight/stiff?

Do you have that constant urge to stretch your body to get rid of that stiffness?

Stretching your muscles will definitely give you temporary relief but not for too long. The stiffness will come back in few hours sometimes even in two minutes. There are many therapies which help you in dealing with stiffness but it won’t be a permanent solution.

Why is it so? Because you are not addressing the root cause of the problem!

What is the root cause? Your improper breathing technique

There are many other causes of stiffness but the most basic one is improper breathing technique.

How does your improper breathing affect your stiffness/tightness?

Let’s do a practical (Helps in better understanding!)

Keep your hands free!

Put your one hand on your neck and one hand on your chest.

Start breathing from your chest consciously.

Do you feel that your neck muscles are contracting when you are breathing from your chest?

Now do one thing,

Put your one hand on your neck and one hand on your belly.

Start breathing from your belly consciously.

Do you feel anything on your neck muscles? Probably not because there is hardly any contraction because there is hardly any muscle tension in that place.

Not just the neck, similar reactions happen in your chest muscles, shoulders, lower back and to some extent even in the hamstrings. If you continuously breathe through your chest, those muscles will shorten, and you will get this chronic feeling of stiffness in your body.

You can stretch your tight muscles every day with different stretching exercises but until you correct the way you breathe, any corrective efforts which you take for getting rid of the stiffness will be useless, and at the end you will not be able to get rid of that sensation of tightness/stiffness which you keep getting in your body throughout the day.

Stiffness is just once such effect of poor breathing. Poor breathing can also lead to lower back pain, weight plateau, poor endurance, low energy throughout the day and some digestive issues.

What’s the solution? How to breathe properly?

Well, the solution is not as complicated as you might think.

Here is what you have to do:

Lie down for 5 minutes (this can be done first thing when waking up, or as you are lying in bed before you fall asleep or whenever you feel it is possible) put one hand on the belly and the other hand on your chest. Simply focus on making the hand on the belly move and keep the hand on the chest as steady as possible.
Point 1 should be done every day for at least 3 times a day daily for at least 3 weeks. After 3 weeks, you should naturally be breathing into your stomach by default.
It also helps if you set yourself little reminders throughout the day, like a little message on your iPhone/Android that asks you at regular intervals “how is my breathing?”

This trick has helped me definitely, try it out for yourself!

Try this for 3 weeks, and let me know what you feel! Would be happy to receive your comments! Share your experience!

For more informative articles such as this, check out Healthy Reads or you can get this information directly from a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

September 11, 2023 By GOQii 9 Comments

2 Breathing Techniques For Better Sleep

Do you have trouble getting sleep despite the fact that you are tired? Sleeping well is an art. It needs a perfect blend of healthy habits and control of mind. A clean body and mind, relaxed mood, physical exercises, and perfect dietary control are some of the basic sleep-inducing methods. However, one of the best ways to bring the body into its relaxed state is – BREATHING! How do breathing techniques for better sleep work? Let’s find out!

Breathing Techniques For Better Sleep

Breathing deeply has been proven to affect the heart, the brain, digestion, the immune system and even the expression of genes. Research has shown that breathing exercises like Pranayama can have immediate effects by altering the pH of the blood, or changing blood pressure. But, more importantly, they can be used as a method to train the body’s reaction to stressful situations and dampen the production of harmful stress hormones and help induce sleep.

Here are 2 important breathing methods to calm the mind and induce sleep naturally.

1. The 4-7-8 Technique

How To Do It?
This process is recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil, a practitioner and teacher of integrative medicine for the last thirty years. To do this exercise, sit up in bed with your back straight or lie down on a straight back and press the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth right behind your front teeth. Maintaining that position, close your mouth and inhale through your nose for four counts, hold that breath for seven counts, and then exhale through your mouth around your tongue for eight counts. Repeat this pattern until you have completed four full breaths.

How It Works?
The 4-7-8 breathing technique is effective because it encourages the fast removal of carbon dioxide. Doing so equates into a better preservation of the bicarbonate pool; our reservoirs for helping maintain an appropriate pH balance. Also, it allows the lungs to become fully charged with air, allowing more oxygen into the body, which promotes a state of calm.

2. Left Nostril Breathing

How To Do It?
Simply take your right hand and with your fingers outstretched, block off your right nostril by putting gentle pressure on it with your right thumb. Be sure to keep the rest of your fingers straight and pointing up. With a long, slow, deep breath, gently inhale through your left nostril. Then, just as gently, exhale long, slowly and completely, again through the left nostril. Do this for at least 3 minutes; chances are you might doze of even before that!

How It Works?
When we’re under stress or feeling anxious, we tend to breathe mostly out of our right nostril, which is connected to our left brain. This activates our sympathetic nervous system, the channel responsible for the classic stress response – dilated pupils, increased core temperature, sweating, and increased heart rate and blood pressure. And when we start breathing through the left nostril the parasympathetic system gets activated which slows us down and helps our body automatically run its day to day jobs of digestion, elimination, sleep cycles and more.

Apart from these 2 breathing techniques for better sleep, you can also try meditation or mindfulness by just observing your breath as it goes in and as it comes out. Connecting with this rise and fall of the breath, and noticing where you feel that breath move within the body can help you begin the process of relaxing tense muscles and create a coherent heart pattern which brings an instant state of tranquil and helps you drift off to peaceful deep sleep.

We hope this article helps you sleep better! Do you meditate before you go to bed? What helps you sleep better? Leave your thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on sleep, check out Healthy Reads or you can get tips directly from a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

Living well with regular Yoga and good Nutrition

Calming Your Mind: Breathing Techniques for ADHD

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Box Breathing

Coherent Breathing

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Victory Breath (Ujjayi Breath)

Are you breathing properly?

2 Breathing Techniques For Better Sleep

Breathing Techniques For Better Sleep

1. The 4-7-8 Technique

2. Left Nostril Breathing

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