Why breathing exercises may help….
You can live weeks without food, days without water, but barely minutes without breathing. Smoking is naturally linked to breathing. When you smoke taking leisurely draws, you feel relaxed. (You did! Can’t be denied!). When you take short, quick puffs, like when you are busy at work, you get work done at least 15% more efficiently than non-smokers. (You did, don’t deny that either!). But, in the end, there is an exhaustion akin to the use of a credit card. You gallavant the whole day shopping, and then at the end, there’s this bill to pay.
Maybe, these three simple exercises (in sequence), may help to some extent, if done on waking up. (And maybe, whenever there’s an urge to smoke).
Breathing excercise 1:
Procedure : Take deep breaths and then completely breathe out.
Duration : 2 mins atleast. 5 mins max.
(Basically, stomach-breathe in (the belly expands), completely, quickly, (not chest-breathe) and exhale at as slow a pace as you can from the nostrils. the exhalation should be natural, till complete exhalation. The last “drops” of breathe would be warm, since that clears the air stagnating at the top of the lungs.
Breathing excercise 2:
Procedure : Push air forcefully out. Stomach will itself go in.
Duration : Start with 30 times or 1 min. increase upto 5 mins min. upto 10 mins max.
Tips : heart and high BP patients, and weak people do it slowly.
Breathing excercise 3
Procedure : Hold your right nasal with thumb, breathe in from left. Now open right nasal and close left nasal with middle and ring finger and breathe out from right nasal. Now breathe in from right nasal. Now close right nasal and open left and breathe out and in from left nasal. and so on.
Duration : atleast 10 mins.
Tips: Do not hurry. Do it slowly. Rest whenever needed.
Videos of the three important breathing exercises.
Breathing exercise 1:
http://knowyoga.org/tiki-index.php?page=Bhastrika+Pranayam
Breathing exercise 2:
http://knowyoga.org/tiki-index.php?page=Kapal+Bhati+Pranayam
Breathing exercise 3:
http://knowyoga.org/tiki-index.php?page=Anulom+Vilom+Pranayam
