The importance of proper breathing is fundamental to life – oxygen is everything!
Learning to breathe correctly will contribute to greater available energy, calm your nervous system, help strengthen your immunity and nourish internal organs.
According to physiotherapist Paula Nassif, breathing also provides a gateway, through focus and relaxation, which allows deepening meditations and healing. Anatomically speaking, there is a balance between breathing pressures that can be disrupted by stress and fatigue. Learning to focus on your breath can reduce the effects of outside influences on your health and restore equilibrium to the inhale and the exhale, making it a smooth process that brings clarity and comfort.
We can consciously use breathing to influence the involuntary (sympathetic nervous system) that regulates blood pressure, heart rate, circulation, digestion and many other bodily functions. The breath is known as prana or a universal energy that can be used to find a balance between the body-mind, the conscious-unconscious, and the sympathetic-parasympathetic nervous system. Breathing exercises can act as a bridge into those functions of the body of which we generally do not have conscious control.
By harnessing the breath, you can take control of your body, your mind, your emotions and inner spirit for any pursuit, whether you’re a world-class athlete, a businessman, or a mom.
Breathe and Balance Your Life!
Watch the video below with Rickson Gracie practicing his famous breathing technique:
Learn from MMA fighter Frank Mir about the importance of breathing for fighters: