Breathing gymnastics
Breathing gymnastics is the exercises that involve respiratory system actively, and aim to increase physical endurance, mental condition and general wellness.
Contents
Origin and history
Breathing gymnastics is know from ancient times in many cultures, and was usually used in rituals and everyday religious practice:
- mentioned in Upanishads as Pranayama, the art of proper breathing (ancient Hinduism);
- claimed to higher the realms of awareness (Qigong philosophy).
- as the part of Sufi practices (Islam);
- the important component in "Prayer of Jesus" (Orthodoxy).
Modern styles
Nowadays breathing gymnastics can be used in various practices, usually for restoring the health or experiencing some spiritual effects:
- breathing exercises by Strelnikova, Frolov, Buteyko, Dr Faleev, etc.
- Wim Hof method
- Holotropic breathing
- Rebirthing
and lots of others.
What about Prana Breath?
The origin of the trainings
Prana Breath app uses training patterns from Pranayama, Sufi and Buddhist practices, doctors' methods, etc. We organized those practices in a handy way so you don't need to read a lot to start experiencing the effects.
Still if you want to go very deep with breathing exercises, it's a good idea to find an experienced practitioner that can be your teacher, and practice under his/her supervision - the Master can see your mistakes, correct you and guide you. It's true about any of physical activity - sports, dancing, etc.
Benefits of practicing
- cerebral circulation improving, relieving migraine headaches
- memory sharpening
- concentration skill developing
- increasing stress resistance
- vivacity during the whole day
- anxiety reducing before the serious events (public speaking, examinations, etc.)
- boosting mood and improving general emotional background
- relaxing after a hard day
- sleep quality increasing
- need for sleep reducing
- lung vital capacity increasing, thus voice improving
- reducing the frequency and intensity of asthma attacks
- increasing physical endurance
- reducing the frequency of catarrhal diseases
- tissue immunity stimulating
- regular exercise skill and self-discipline developing
- reducing excessive appetite, which results in weight correction
You can find scientific proofs of those benefits in "Research articles".