Lower your stress with Breathing Exercises | Blog

Boost your immune system and lower your stress with Dr Maha’s Breathing Exercises

Of course it’s impossible to ignore the importance of breathing when it comes to our immediate physicality, but we are not always aware of how the way we breathe can have a long-term effect on our vital organs, internal processes and immune system, as well as our cognitive function.

Here, Dr Maha Lakshmanan, Body Science Leader at BodyHoliday, talks about the positive effects breath work has on the immune system and our long-term health.

Ensuring we are in tip-top condition, both physically and mentally, is paramount, now more than ever. The uncertainty surrounding us in the present time will have both a physical and psychological effect on us all. Paying more attention to how we breath has been proven to provide instant relief from stress, as well as a myriad of other benefits when it comes to overall wellbeing and immunity, both short and long-term.

Whilst automatic breathing keeps us functioning for the most part, putting time aside to focus on yourself and try out some new breathing techniques could prove vital when it comes to your physical health, stress levels and immunity. It is also a wonderful way of keeping yourself grounded, clear-headed and ready to take on the day.

What’s more, with health benefits including but not limited to pain-relief, improved blood flow, increased energy, detoxification, improved digestion and better sleep, the practice of specific breathing techniques will be a habit you will want to carry into your normal life, once it resumes in the near future.

In this video, I will guide you through Pranayama, a set of breathing exercises heralded by yoga practitioners across the globe. Derived from two Sanskrit words, prana meaning life-force and yama meaning control, this is a practice which works to improve your lung capacity and to set you up in the long-term when it comes to your physical health.

Generally, our breathing is short and shallow, meaning air does not necessarily reach the lower part of our lungs. By working to engage every area of your lungs, practicing Pranayama breathing exercises on a regular basis has been proven to balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems whilst increasing our hormone and enzyme levels, as well as lung capacity and oxygen saturation. Combined, these positive changes in our body have the additional benefits of lowering stress levels and boosting the immune system.

No equipment is required and no expertise is needed – all you need to do is make yourself comfortable in a seated position and follow my calming words in this video, as I take you through three Pranayama practices to help unlock a healthier, happier you in the short and long term.