Conscious breathing

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Conscious breathing encompasses techniques directing awareness toward the

vipassanā uses anapanasati
for mindfulness of breathing.

In music, circular breathing enables wind instrument players to produce a continuous tone. Singers, too, rely on breath control through consciously managed breathing stages. The Buteyko method in physical therapy focuses on breathing exercises for conditions like asthma, emphasizing nasal breathing and relaxation. In psychology, Integrative Breathing combines various techniques to address specific needs, particularly in cases of drug abuse disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder.

New Age breathwork practices, like Holotropic Breathwork and Rebirthing-breathwork, developed in the late 1960s and 1970s, use deepened breathing for accessing altered states of consciousness and purging repressed memories. However, the medical community questions the efficacy of some methods, such as the Buteyko method, due to limited evidence supporting their claims.

In martial arts

In tai chi, aerobic exercise is combined with breathing exercises to strengthen the diaphragm muscles, improve posture and make better use of the body's qi.[1]

In

kung fu. Reverse breathing is believed to activate healing and protective qi as the practitioner is consciously controlling the breath in a way opposite to normal breathing. By expanding the abdomen while delivering some technique (e.g. punch), the martial artists also protect the inner organs from any received counterattack.[3]

In meditation

Different forms of meditation and yoga advocate various breathing methods. In yoga these methods are called pranayama.[1] In yoga, breath is associated with prana, thus, pranayama is a means to elevate the prana-shakti, or life energies. Pranayama is described in Hindu texts such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Methods include prolonging the in- and outbreaths, holding pauses on the in- or outbreath or both, alternate nostril breathing, and breathing with the glottis slightly engaged. Later in Hatha yoga texts, it meant the complete suspension of breathing. The pranayama practices in modern yoga as exercise are unlike those of the Hatha yoga tradition.

In

Buddha.[1]

In music

In music, some wind instrument players use a technique called circular breathing, a technique used by players of some wind instruments to produce a continuous tone without interruption. It is accomplished by inhaling through the nose while simultaneously pushing air out through the mouth using air stored in the cheeks. The technique was developed independently by several cultures and is used for many traditional wind instruments.[5]

Singers also rely on breath control. Natural breathing has three stages: a breathing-in period, breathing out period, and a resting or recovery period; these stages are not usually consciously controlled. Within singing, there are four stages of breathing: a breathing-in period (inhalation); a setting up controls period (suspension); a controlled exhalation period (phonation); and a recovery period.

These stages must be under conscious control by the singer until they become conditioned reflexes. Many singers abandon conscious controls before their reflexes are fully conditioned which ultimately leads to chronic vocal problems.[6]

In physical therapy

The

physical therapy that proposes the use of breathing exercises primarily as a treatment for asthma and other respiratory conditions.[7] It focuses on nasal breathing, relaxation and reduced breathing. These techniques provide the lungs with more NO and thus dilate the airways and should prevent the excessive exhalation of CO2 and thus improve oxygen metabolism. Advocates of the Buteyko method say that it can alleviate symptoms and reliance on medication for patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and chronic hyperventilation. The medical community questions these claims, given limited and inadequate evidence supporting the theory and efficacy of the method.[7][8]

In psychology and psychotherapy

In psychology, "Integrative Breathing" combines specific benefits of various schools of conscious breathing according to the needs of clients.

Coherent breathing is a method that involves breathing at the rate of five breaths per minute with equal periods of inhalation and exhalation and conscious relaxation of anatomical zones.[14][15]

New Age breathwork

Several forms of breathwork developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s are considered

Rebirthing-breathwork was developed by Leonard Orr in the 1970s. It uses conscious breathing to purge repressed birth memories and traumatic childhood memories.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ .
  2. ^ "The Effects of Reverse Breathing". LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved 2019-02-24.[unreliable source?]
  3. .
  4. .
  5. ^ "What is Circular Breathing? (with pictures)". Musical Expert. Retrieved Aug 27, 2022.
  6. (PDF) from the original on 29 May 2019.
  7. ^ a b Baggoley C (2015). "Review of the Australian Government Rebate on Natural Therapies for Private Health Insurance" (PDF). Australian Government – Department of Health. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 June 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  8. PMID 25323740
    .
  9. OCLC 238421972.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
  10. OCLC 946133875.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
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  14. OCLC 974494732.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
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Further reading