People use different practices to relax their bodies, clear their minds, and focus. Breathing exercises send more oxygen to your brain, promoting a state of calmness after triggering your parasympathetic nervous system.

When you’re stressed or anxious, your breaths are shorter and tenser than if you were calm. Bellows breath, also known as Bhastrika or the Stimulating Breath, is a traditional breathing technique used to help in these situations.

What is bellows breathing?

Bellows breathing is a technique that people often use while doing yoga. It is good for people battling depression because it gives your body somewhat of an elation. Your blood pressure and heart rate can drop to or below your resting rate during this breathing practice.

Bellows breathing is known to energize your mind and body. It’s also great to use in stressful situations throughout the day.

Lung health and weight loss

Not only does bellows breath help your mental health, but it’s also known to strengthen your lungs and promote weight loss. Because this breathing exercise decreases stress, you are less likely to indulge in stress-eating and increased appetite. Bellows breathing can also increase metabolism, making it easier to burn calories fast.

Bellows breath is used by people battling respiratory problems like bronchitis, allergies, or the flu. It clears your airways and increases your lung capacity.

Healthy skin

Another great benefit of bellows breathing is healthy skin. While this practice increases the amount of oxygen your brain is getting, it also increases the oxygen supply to your skin, clearing toxins from your blood while simultaneously giving you healthy, bright skin.

How to Perform Bellows Breath

Here are the steps to perform bellows breath:

1. Sit up and relax your shoulders.
2. Start by taking a few deep breaths through your nose and filling your belly with air as you breathe.
3. You’re now ready for bellows breaths by forcefully and quickly inhaling and exhaling through your nose.
4. Make sure that you’re breathing from your diaphragm.

You can aim for 10 breaths and then take a break by breathing normally. If you’re new to bellows breathing, you can try to do 3 cycles and increase your breaths for each one.

Can anyone do bellows breath?

Before doing bellows breath, make sure you know your health conditions. You should avoid bellows breathing if you:

• Are pregnant or menstruating
• Have hypertension
• Have panic disorders
• Have a full stomach
• Have heart disease or high blood pressure
• Had a recent abdominal surgery

There are many other reasons to avoid bellows breathing, so talk with your doctor before adding it into your routine.

The BetterSleep app has different practices to help increase your energy, clear your mind, and maintain good mental health. Visit the app today for more information.