Diaphragm is also seat of our emotions therefore when diaphragm movements freezes, or in your emotional expressions are also restricted. To learning to move the diaphragm will help you to release suppressed emotions and create an emotional balance.
You can synchronies the movement of the abdominal muscles with your breathing. When you breath in the belly moves outwards and when you breathe out the belly moves in words. To make this whole process more effective exhalation should be longer than inhalation. So that you can get rid of your residual air in the lungs in order to bring more oxygen to your body. Ordinarily it is not easy to exhale a longer through the nose therefore if you inhale to the nose but exhale through the mouth by pursing your lips as if you are blowing air. This has to facilitate the movement of the diaphragm and bring relaxation.
The process of inhalation is like you are energizing your body with cosmic energy. While exhaling you are releasing your toxins and tensions out. Therefore exhalation is connected with relaxation. If you close your eyes, you will mentally picture your muscles relaxing.
Duration:
In the beginning you start with 10 cycles of inhalation and exhalation but later on you can increase the number of cycles according to the time available and kind of relaxation you want to bring.
Application:
Synchronized breathing is one of the finest way of calming your mind when you are upset or in a turmoil. Because of the link between the body and mind by changing the way you breathe you can change the emotional reactions in your mind. The emotional activity corresponds with body physiology. If you can change your body physiology by changing your breathing pattern you thought pattern will change.
Steps for synchronized breathing:
- Sitting a comfort able position on the floor with your back and neck erect. If you can't sit cross-legged you can sit on a chair but keep in mind that your spine should be straight.
- Focus all your awareness on your breathing and movement of the belly. You can put your hand on the belly while inhaling your abdominal rises and while exhaling it comes down.
- Inhale to the nose and exhale through the mouth by making your lips as if you are blowing the air. Try to make exhalation as long as possible by contracting your abdominal muscles in.
- Try to make breathing process as slow as deep as possible. Slowing down of the breathing rate will change the entire physiology which is a relaxation pattern. Normally we take 15 breaths in a minute but during synchronized breathing try to take four to six breaths in a minute.
- When you get the hang of it you don't have to put your hand on the belly it will happen automatically.