You must have heard of the 4-7-8 Breathing Practice, which is very good for Fitness and Stress Management. Or do you wonder what is this 4-7-8 Breathing? Let us see what it is in detail and how it can benefit us in our daily life.
Stress is an inevitable part in our daily life. We may get stressed for anything and everything. The Fight-or-Flight Natural Stress Response helps us in dealing with the dangerous situations. But it can also take a toll on your health when the same is overused for the everyday stresses. The Stress Response suppresses your Immune System and can cause health problems such as high Blood Pressure, Depression, Anxiety etc. Here, we can find the 4-7-8 Breathing procedure very much helpful to reduce the stress and thus keep fit.
4-7-8 Breathing – What is it?
Pranayama is an ancient and Yogic breathing technique practiced in India. With Pranayama, one controls his/her breath in different styles and lengths. It is the fourth Anga or Limb of Yoga and regarded as a science. You can control your mind by regulating your breath.
4-7-8 Breathing is one such Pranayama which is also called as a type of Mindful Breathing Exercise. This can be done anytime and anywhere but best results are during the early morning and evening around Sunrise and Sunset. But time, place etc. are not so relevant for doing the 4-7-8 Breathing. In the initial stages, it is recommended to do this Pranayama at least twice a day. Once you have mastered the art, you can do it as often as you want. Do only 3 to 4 cycles of the breathing procedure in the beginning and you can go easily up to 8 times in a round.
How to do 4-7-8 Breathing?
- Find a comfortable place to sit with your back straight
- Sit on the Lotus Pose (Padmasana) if you can. Gently close your eyes
- Place your tongue against the back of your top teeth and keep it there
- Exhale completely through your mouth around your tongue, making a whoosh sound. Feel the outgoing air
- Close your lips and inhale through your nose for a count of FOUR. Feel the incoming air
- Hold your breath for a count of SEVEN
- Exhale completely through your mouth making a whoosh sound for a count of EIGHT
- This completes one cycle. Repeat for three more cycles
