By Claire Diab and Dennis Boyle
瑜伽呼吸是一种简单而有效的工具you can do anytime throughout your day and will improve your overall health. In fact, yoga is one of the most commonly used forms of alternative medicine in the United States, and the core of an effective yoga practice is the breath, whether on the mat or off the mat in your daily life. Breathing is a simple tool that will help keep you strong and healthy without a doctor’s co-pay.
One of the main reasons breathing is so effective in keeping your health on the up and up is that deep cleansing breaths are just that—cleansing! Deep breaths help to remove toxins that build up throughout the body and can weigh us down and act as precursors to illness. By filling the lungs (which act similarly to air purifiers) fully with air, the lungs stay vibrant and can send signals to the rest of the body to stay healthy and vibrant as well. Not to mention, breathing is one of the simplest ways to keep stress levels low, especially during this holiday season! The lower the stress levels in your body, the more prepared your body is to fight off any infections.
Breathing techniques teach us to use breathing in everything we do, from climbing steps to walking, driving, and performing the daily activities. In addition to staying healthy and calming and quieting the mind, theSounding Breatheis proven to help lower your blood pressure, andAlternate Nostril Breathingwill increase mental sharpness. These breathing techniques will help firefighters enhance job performance and have increased energy on and off the job. Overall health and stamina will be improved.
Here are two easy and effective breathing techniques that will keep you strong and healthy on and off the job! Breathe is the Best Medicine!
Ujjayi Breath:the “sounding breath” or “ocean breath.”
- Sitting with your spine straight or lying down on your back (knees bent or straight), take a few deep breaths. Relax.
- With a slow and steady breath through the nostrils, gently contract the back of your throat (the glottis), creating a soft and audible hissing sound. The sound is like a gentle “snore” in a deep, relaxed sleep. (To learn how to create this sound, practice whispering “ahhhhh” with your mouth open on both the exhalation and the inhalation. Or, open your mouth on the exhale and gently “ahhhh” as though you were blowing fog on a mirror–that’s the “rushing,” wave-like sound you are seeking to create with a closed mouth.)
- Lengthen the breath as much as possible and focus on the sound. Repeat for five to 10 minutes. As you advance in your practice, repeat ujjayi breathing for longer periods of time.
Special Notes:
- You may wish to hold the breath briefly at the top of the inhalation and/or at the end of the exhalation.
- Use the “circular” breath by connection the inhalation to the exhalation. Allow the breath to create one continuous flow, visualizing a circle of light moving up the back of the body and down the front and breathing around that circle.
Contraindications:Recent surgery to abdomen or chest. (NOTE: All breathing practices are best done on an empty stomach.)
Alternate Nostril Breathing:
- Connect the middle and index finger, and slide your hand above the brow bone. You can rest your elbow on the other arm.
- Use the thumb to close your right nostril and the fourth and fifth finger together to close your left nostril.
- Start by inhaling through the left nostril.
- Hold the breath, closing off both nostrils.
- Exhale through the right nostril, keeping the left nostril closed.
- Inhale through the right nostril.
- Hold the breath, closing off both nostrils.
- Exhale through the left nostril, keeping the right nostril closed.
Special Notes:
- Alternate Nostril Breathing is performed with a smooth, steady, and subtle breath.
- Relax into the rhythm and flow of the breath, without forcing or straining.
- If your raised arm gets tired, support it by bending one knee and propping your elbow against it.
- The suggested practice is 20 to 30 minutes daily. You may wish to start with five minutes a day and build your practice gradually over a period of time.
- Maintain your focus on the “third eye” throughout the practice, especially when holding the breath.
Contraindications:Holding the breath should be minimized or omitted for those with unmediated high blood pressure, abdominal inflammation, lung conditions, or hernia.
Claire Diabis an internationally recognized Yoga therapist. She is the director of the Yoga Program for the Chopra Center founded by Dr. Deepak Chopra and Dr. David Simon. She is an adjunct professor of Asian Studies at Seton Hall University. She is the author of several books and DVDs on Yoga including “Yoga For Firefighters.”
Dennis Boyleis a retired fire director and acting chief with the West Orange (NJ) Fire Department. He was the recipient of the 1999 New Jersey Deputy Fire Chiefs “Fire Officer of the Year” award.
