Pain-Relieving Breathing Exercises

It is possible to reduce pain or even eliminate it entirely.In this post,  we emphasize deep diaphragmatic breathing and Nadi Shodhana, which is alternate-nasal breathing and has numerous advantages when practiced regularly.

What is the impact of breathing on pain?
Irregular breathing can aggravate or even cause a variety of pains. Natural breathing habits can be restored with regular breathing exercises.  When the breathing settles into a rhythm, the body can heal more easily. Pain is a symptom, a warning sign from the body.
This signal indicates that the chemistry in this area has changed or needs to change.  The goal is not to suppress the pain signal, but to improve the chemical state that causes the pain.

Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing, also known as abdominal breathing, is particularly effective for chronic pain. It relaxes the muscles and the body, which are strained by the pain, making it worse. While using the diaphragm muscles reduces the respiratory load, the lungs' breathing capacity increases, and respiration improves. Deep diaphragmatic breathing can also help with problems like depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders.

How is diaphragmatic breathing performed?
Put one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest during the diaphragmatic breathing exercise and pay attention to which hand moves as you breathe in.

You can repeat this application for 5-10 minutes as needed.

Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. It will be easier to work while lying down, especially for those new to diaphragmatic breathing.

Begin by gently exhaling all of your breath. Then, take a deep breath in through your nose and slowly exhale through your mouth.
As you exhale, purse your lips as if you are blowing out a candle.
Try not to move your neck or shoulders as you breathe.The chest may rise and fall slightly, but the abdomen should primarily move.
The abdomen not only moves up and down during healthy diaphragmatic breathing, but it also expands to the sides.

Control the movement by placing your hands on the sides of your stomach.
Pay attention to the natural movement of the abdomen while performing the exercise. When we breathe in, the diaphragm contracts and loses its dome shape,  flattening and descending. This causes the abdominal muscles to spontaneously move outwards. Apart from this natural diaphragmatic movement, voluntarily pushing the abdominal muscles forward and moving the abdomen outward weakens the diaphragm muscle and makes it difficult for us to breathe fully.  To improve breathing, pay close attention to your breathing and relax your abdominal muscles.

Nadi Shodhana
Alternate nostril breathing is a centuries-old breathing technique that is commonly used in yoga practice. This technique, which is simple to implement in our daily lives,  has numerous health benefits. It, for example, promotes brain-hemisphere harmony, calms the nervous system, reduces stress, balances hormones,  helps the body's elimination of toxins, and relieves pain.To get the most benefit from this breathing technique,  it is recommended to practice it regularly for 5-10 minutes every day.

How to perform alternate nostril breathing?
In this method, which we practice by breathing through different nostrils, we will use our right hand.  We close the index finger and middle finger in the palm of our hand. We use the thumb to gently close the right nostril and the ring finger to gently close the left nostril.  We close the other nostril by changing the finger after each inhale. Slowly count to four as you inhale and exhale.

Sit preferably in a cross-legged position with your spine straight. Keep your chin parallel to the ground. Take a comfortable, deep breath. Close the right nostril and exhale through the left.
Breathe in through left. Switch finger and exhale through right.
Breathe in through right. Switch finger and exhale through the left.
Breathe in through left. Switch finger and exhale through right.
Repeat the process four times for both sides.

Exhale through your left nostril as you finish the practice. Finally, inhale and exhale through both nostrils.
You can find many breathing techniques for pain relief in Breath Hub.
Apart from getting rid of pain, you can choose from hundreds of breathing techniques and sessions to improve your health and mood, and you can start your breathing practice today.