Significance of Breathing exercise
Breathing exercises, according to Yoga and Theravada traditions, involve controlled inhalation and exhalation aimed at enhancing mental stability and mindfulness. In Yoga, they represent just one aspect of pranayama, which encompasses broader techniques to regulate prana. Theravada emphasizes concentrating on the breath to improve mindfulness, sometimes incorporating health-related suggestions. Both traditions recognize breathing exercises as essential practices for calming the mind and improving focus and concentration.
Synonyms: Respiratory exercise, Breathing technique, Breathwork, Deep breathing, Diaphragmatic breathing, Controlled breathing, Respiratory exercises, Deep breathing techniques, Pranayama, Breath work, Mindful breathing
In Dutch: Ademhalingsoefening; In Finnish: Hengitysharjoitus; In Spanish: Ejercicio de respiración; In German: Atemübung; In Malay: Latihan pernafasan; In Swedish: Andningsövning; In French: Exercice de respiration; In Portugese: Exercício de respiração; In Italian: Esercizio di respirazione; In Polish: Ćwiczenia oddechowe
The below excerpts are indicatory and do represent direct quotations or translations. It is your responsibility to fact check each reference.
Buddhist concept of 'Breathing exercise'
Breathing exercises in Buddhism focus on enhancing mindfulness and concentration through awareness of in-breaths and out-breaths, while also potentially providing health benefits by encouraging deep focus and mental clarity.
From: Introducing Buddhist Abhidhamma
(1) Practices that involve conscious control of breath to enhance relaxation and concentration.[1] (2) Practices that can involve concentration, where one might also make health-related suggestions.[2] (3) Practice of concentrating on in-breaths and out-breaths to enhance mindfulness and concentration.[3]
From: The Six Yogas of Naropa
(1) The practice of these exercises, along with the Real-Meditation-State and After-Meditation-State, is performed to augment experience.[4] (2) Techniques used in yoga to regulate the breath, enhance prana control, and support meditative practices.[5] (3) A fundamental practice in Tibetan yoga meant to manage the flow of prana and promote inner calm.[6]
Hindu concept of 'Breathing exercise'
Breathing exercises in Hinduism involve controlled inhalation and exhalation techniques that enhance calmness and mental stability, primarily practiced in pranayama to regulate prana, though they represent just one aspect of this broader discipline.
From: International Research Journal of Ayurveda and Yoga
(1) Specific breathing techniques or pranayama, a component of yoga techniques that creates a harmonious balance between body, mind and soul.[7] (2) Yoga and Pranayama are not merely physical exercises but they strongly influence our consciousness by conditioning effects on autonomic functions.[8] (3) Also known as Pranayama, these are widely used practices. They provide a bridge between mind and body and harmonize physical, spiritual & mental levels.[9] (4) In yoga, physical postures and breathing exercises improve muscle strength, flexibility, blood circulation and oxygen uptake.[10] (5) Also known as pranayama, these are used in yoga, along with physical postures, concentration and meditation, and contemplative practice to achieve equilibrium.[11]
From: Journal of Ayurveda and Integrated Medical Sciences
(1) Activities include adequate sleep, regular life, mild to moderate exercise, and this like Pranayama for 30 minutes in the morning.[12] (2) Yoga encompasses traditional physical postures and may also integrate additional elements such as breathing exercises. It helps in coordinated relaxation and contraction of the uterus.[13] (3) These are a way of dealing with stressful situations of everyday life, and this can be promoted by Yogasanas.[14] (4) These are relaxation techniques that are suggested as a method to reduce stress and anxiety, offering a way to achieve a state of calmness.[15] (5) These are specific techniques incorporated into the yoga module, including practices like Nadi Shodhana Pranayama, designed to promote relaxation, improve focus, and enhance self-regulation.[16]
From: Journal of Ayurvedic and Herbal Medicine
(1) Part of the daily practice of Uni 5, recommended to relax the mind and promote effective lymphatic circulation.[17] (2) The text notes that Anapanasati meditation involves breathing exercises, which are similar to those taught in the Upanishads, where it is called Pranayama.[18]
From: Yoga-sutras (Vedanta Commentaries)
(1) Techniques used in pranayama aimed at controlling prana by regulating the act of breathing.[19] (2) A technique used to calm the mind and prepare it for concentration, involving controlled inhalation and exhalation through alternating nostrils.[20] (3) Practices that involve controlled inhalations and exhalations to enhance calmness and mental stability.[21]
The concept of Breathing exercise in local and regional sources
Breathing exercises are integral to meditation and worship practices in India, serving as a universal method that connects physical and spiritual well-being, emphasizing their significance in cultural and religious contexts.
From: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
(1) Popular in India from ancient times, these practices are part of their religion, similar to church attendance and prayer repetition, and I will try to bring those ideas before you.[22] (2) This is used to train the body and attain a harmonious condition, which is a part of the process of achieving meditation and concentration, as described in the text.[23] (3) Specific practices that are a great help in regulating the different parts of the body, which involve controlling the breath and are believed to help in controlling the different parts of the body, which are practiced to improve overall well-being.[24] (4) This is a part of Pranayama that consists of three parts: breathing in, retaining the breath, and breathing out, and it is regulated by numbers and involves using the nostrils.[25] (5) Breathing exercises are a way to manipulate and control breath to reach finer movements, and they involve breathing in, retaining, and exhaling, regulated by numbers.[26]
The concept of Breathing exercise in scientific sources
Breathing exercises encompass techniques to enhance respiratory function, promote relaxation, and improve lung efficiency, often integrated into yoga, providing stress relief and health benefits, especially in polluted environments and for pregnant women.
From: South African Journal of Physiotherapy
(1) Breathing exercises can sometimes cause patients to make a conscious effort to exhale completely, leading to resistance, which training in relaxation can help to alleviate.[27] (2) These are a type of cardiopulmonary therapy utilized by physiotherapists in the management of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy to help manage symptoms and improve quality of life.[28] (3) These are done along with coughing, foot exercises for pumping action, static quadriceps contractions, teaching full range hip movements, and static contractions of muscles expected to be cut, as part of the pre-operative training.[29] (4) These are a type of exercise that is included in simple postural training, which is a part of the physiotherapy treatment.[30] (5) These exercises are done in order to prevent accumulation of secretions in the lungs, and they are described in the method, as the text describes.[31]
From: South African Family Practice
(1) These are specific techniques taught to patients before surgery to help improve lung function and reduce the risk of postoperative complications.[32] (2) These may be useful, and some authors have shown that pursed lip breathing exercises may be useful.[33]
From: African Journal of Primary Health Care and Family Medicine
(1) This is an activity that can improve the effectiveness of the lungs, especially for individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to the text.[34]
From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (MDPI)
(1) Breathing exercises, also known as BTE, are nonpharmacological interventions used to improve asthma control and are routinely used to control the hyperventilation symptoms of asthma.[35] (2) It involves techniques to support the movement from sympathetic to parasympathetic nerve activity, potentially reinforced in nature.[36] (3) These are techniques that involve focusing on and regulating the breath to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being, often used in mindfulness meditation practices.[37] (4) The breathing exercise is used to build resilience and promote stress recovery through practices like five-finger breathing and box breathing.[38] (5) 'Breathing exercises' with biofeedback are an important use of new technologies, in order to improve respiratory dysfunction, relaxation in virtual reality (VR) conditions; interactive exercises combining cognitive exercises and physical exercises in VR focused on improving concentration, perception, memory, understanding and efficiency of communication, balance and coordination, strengthening the muscles of the lower and upper limbs, improving movement control, improving reaction time.[39]
From: Sustainability Journal (MDPI)
(1) "Breathing exercises", along with meditation and journaling, were reported by students as being the most helpful practices for self-regulation.[40]
From: Religions Journal (MDPI)
(1) Also known as fuqi, it is a practice involving specific techniques. Early Quanzhen Taoism engaged in these exercises, accumulating rich practical experience in this area.[41] (2) The breathing exercises (pranayama) are included in preparatory acts before training begins, along with warm-up and selected yoga postures, enhancing bodily awareness and control.[42]