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Unit 5. Some breathing exercises. In this unit, we will focus on the importance of breathing and some simple exercises that can help us improve it. Breathing is in fact connected directly to voice, they can influence one another. Governing our voice in stress situations is very important. Through voice, in fact, our listener can easily grasp our discomfort! Here we will learn some breathing exercises that, repeated every day, will allow us to better manage our states of anxiety and stress and consequently improve our ability to modulate our voice. Breathing in the right manner is also important because it guarantees a correct tissue oxygenation. It is essential not only to breathe deeply, but also slowly. Common in anxious states, it is in fact the hyperventilation or acceleration of the respiratory rhythm, which can lead to confusion or to further anxiety. Let’s get going with some motivations for which it is important to learn these breathing techniques. In an anxiety or stress situation, the first to break down is the voice. The broken, trembling, shrill voice: in many ways the voice can convey and communicate the state of stress in which the speaker is found. However it is possible to learn some simple techniques that allow us to better manage situations of this type. The voice, in fact, is directly connected to breathing, being produced by the vibration of the vocal strings. In turn, breathing is directly connected to common anxious states, so that learning some elementary breathing techniques, as well as yoga exercises or martial arts can help us face them. Exercise number one: Inhale deeply. Hold your breath for a few seconds, emit the vowel "A" at the same time, using as little air as possible. Now exhale. Repeat this exercise several times a day, every day. Remember not to overdo: Hold your breath only for a few seconds, as much you can. Perform this exercise slowly. Exercise number two: inhale for a long time. Inhale deeply, slowly. Hold your breath for a few seconds, emit the vowel "A" at the same time, using as little air as possible. This time, the intensity of the sound increases when you emit the vowel. Repeat this exercise several times a day, every day. Remember not to overdo: Hold your breath only for a few seconds, as much you can. Perform this exercise slowly. Only when you make these two exercises you can switch to the third. Exercise number three: Inhaling deeply and relax. Inhale deeply, slowly. Hold your breath for a few seconds, without too much effort. Remember: you must always feel at ease. Now emit the sound "A" as in the exercises one and two, but exhaling. Continue to emit this sound until the end of the exhalation. Try to keep the long note until you have spent all your breath. Remember to perform this exercise calmly and slowly. Remember that you have to always feel at ease. These are only three very simple exercises that we advise you to repeat every day, several times a day, until this breathing technique becomes a routine for you. They are very simple and fast, you can take advantage of it at any time and practice improving your breathing. A valid aid is also constituted by yoga and some martial arts, such as Tai-Chi: in these arts breathing plays a primary role. The ideal would be to carve out part of your time between your daily commitments to dedicate exclusively to breathing and relaxation exercises. If then you can add yoga lessons or martial arts, even better! You will learn how soon to manage situations of anxiety and stress. Breathing correctly will help you reduce stress and to control anxiety even in the most difficult situations. Another exercise: When you inhale, use your nose, the best tool that each of us has naturally available to purify, filter and heat the air. When you breathe with your mouth, in fact, the air that enters is cold and dry: it is not at all ideal for our lungs. Exhale through your mouth, however, as well as helping us stay focused on our breathing, it helps control anxiety. An ideal compromise is therefore to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth: never do the opposite! Now we go to the rhythm of your breath. It should never be accelerated, since fast breathing does not allow a correct oxygenation of the tissues and you may also incur a state of hyperventilation. Breathing quickly is not right at all, but it is the condition that occurs during anxiety crises. Breathing too quickly can cause shocking states and shortness of breath. Why do we gasp for breath sometimes? Anxiety brings us to breathe very quickly. A normal respiratory cycle consists of about ten or twelve inspirations, while an anxiety condition can even take us to fifteen per minute! Anxious breathing is on the other hand fully accomplished solely through the chest. But breathing in this way is not right at all. The best way to breathe is called "diaphragmatic breathing" or "abdominal breathing". Here is the diaphragmatic breathing exercise: In this exercise we will use the abdominal part of the body, concentrating on the diaphragm, the muscle which precisely divides the thoracic part of the body from the abdomen. Taking advantage of the diaphragm, we will be able to inhale and exhale deeply: this will help us relax. To do this type of breathing, repeat the exercises several times a day. Lie down, or sit comfortably. Make sure the room is not too cold or overheated. Put a hand on your chest and the other on your belly and inhale deeply, remembering to keep a slow and the most natural pace. Stay focused so that the diaphragm swells with air: this will allow your lungs to receive the oxygen they need. Exhale through your mouth slowly. Repeat this exercise five or ten times at least, every day. It takes just ten minutes: in a short time you will master this breathing technique that will allow you to face anxiety and stress. This breathing technique is also very useful for calming down quickly. If you have to prepare for an important interview or video conference, remember to breathe deeply: you will feel anxiety slip away and this will help you to better face your job and better manage your voice. When you have more time available, you can try this following one, slightly longer and elaborate than the previous one. Get a bag of sand or, alternatively, a weight of about 3kg. Make sure the room is not too cold or overheated. Also get a yoga mat, or alternatively a towel can go well, so as not to be in contact with the floor. First lie on the floor with the tummy upwards, in the supine position, and fold the knees. Put the sand bag on the abdomen and one on the belly. Now relax and inhale deeply and slowly. Concentrate on the abdomen and inhale as much as you can, but without overdoing. Now exhale by compressing the abdomen, using your hands. Repeat the exercise about fifteen or twenty times, but remember: be always relaxed. After repeating the exercise, take a few minutes of rest. When you are ready, keep the supine position, bend your legs and put the weight on the abdomen. Inhale, while your abdomen fills up with air. Hold your breath, without excessively straining yourself, for a few seconds. Now exhale: make sure the weight drops together with the abdomen. Repeat the exercise twenty-five or even thirty times, depending on how you feel. Remember, you must always feel at ease. These breathing exercises will help you become more aware of the rhythm and intensity of your breath: learning to govern it you will also learn to control anxiety and stress. After a few minutes of rest, repeat the exercise Summary At the beginning of this unit, we clarified what are the main motivations behind breathing exercises every day. Breathing is in fact linked to our state of psycho physical well-being: breathing well helps us to control stress, but at the same time it also guarantees a correct oxygenation of the tissues. Breathing is also directly connected to voice: to learn to breathe well and to control the rhythm of our breath allows us to monitor our voice that, in stressful situations, communicates our anxious state to the listener. By exercising these techniques every day, even for a few minutes, you will be able to relax and decrease anxiety. Thanks to this unit you have therefore discovered how to breathe deeply and slowly. Also remember to breathe with the nose (it will allow you to heat the air) and exhale with your mouth (it will help you relax and keep control over your breath). To learn how to manage anxiety, stress and learn how to breathe, follow these simple exercises, practice sports, martial arts and yoga, you can also dedicate yourself to meditation.