Three breathing exercises will be shown in the video. These exercises are able, according to scientific studies, to help you sleep and live better (Kumar et al, Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 2019 - Komori, Ment Illn, 2018). These exercises are bhramari pranayama, which strengthens the oropharyngeal muscles and helps to counteract sleep apnea, diaphragmatic breathing, which brings calm and relaxation, helping to counteract insomnia, difficulty falling asleep and nocturnal awakenings, and breathing with longer exhalation than inhalation, in order to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and induce a state of relaxation, driving away obsessive thoughts.
The first breathing exercise is Bhramari Pranayama. Sit cross-legged and bring your hands to your face. Place the index fingers above the eyebrows, the middle and ring fingers rest on the closed eyelids. Inhale through your nose, slowly. Then, hold for a few seconds and exhale, keeping your mouth closed. During the exhalation phase, try to emit the Mmmmmmm sound with your throat. Get as far as you can, as long as you're out of breath. Then stop and inhale through your nose, then exhale again making the mmmmmm sound from your throat, and so on. Repeat for 5 times.
The second breathing exercise is diaphragmatic breathing. You are on your back. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your navel. When you inhale, the hand on the chest must stay still while the one on the navel must rise. Inhale slowly. Then, when you exhale, always slowly, make sure that only the hand on your navel is lowering, proceed in this way for a couple of minutes.
In the third breathing exercise, the exhalation is longer than the inhalation. Sit in a comfortable position, for example cross-legged. Open your chest and close your eyes. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for a moment and then exhale for 6 seconds. Do this for a few minutes.
