According to yogic philosophy practicing slow and deep breathing can increase your life. That is why the ancient yogis created different breathing techniques.

Hindus believe that when we were born, we were given a certain number of years, which can also be expressed as a certain number of breaths, and that one can alter the time of death by regulated breathing. The quicker we spend our breaths, the sooner we die.

What does it mean? According to Hindus the number of breaths in an individual’s lifetime were written on the forehead and fixed. Hindus don’t measure life with the years but with the number of breaths you take. The earlier you spend them, the earlier your life ends. Does it sound ridiculous?

Yes, but this theory is supported by the fact that those animals that breathe more often live less than others, which makes it more sparingly!

The normal respiratory rate for healthy adults is between 12 and 20 breaths per minute, and his life averages about 75 years. Dogs, whose breathing is very rapid, around 24 breaths per minute, live not more than 12-15 years.

Another example is elephants that take about 10-12 breaths per minute, which allows them to live up to 250 years.

What about turtles? A tortoise breathes very slowly, approximately 4 breaths per minute, and can live 400 years. For this reason, there is a tortoise breathing exercise. Using the tortoise breathing technique, with time and practice you should be able to comfortably slow down your breathing rate to three or four breaths per minute.

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If you think more deeply, you will consider the fact that the respiratory system, along with the cardiovascular system, is not stopping even for a second. No vital function takes as much energy as cardio-respiratory activity. This activity of the organism stops neither day nor night. The only way to save energy is to slow down its rhythm.

The respiratory system has many functions, it delivers oxygen to the cells in your body, and removes waste gases, including carbon dioxide, from the body when you exhale. It is a complicated system that includes your: mouth and nose, sinuses, pharynx (throat), trachea, bronchial tubes, lungs, diaphragms, and ribs.

These respiratory organs never take a break. The whole life is a series of inhalations and exhalations, and the most difficult activities are related to the acceleration of the respiratory organs – running, working, anger. These activities require a lot of energy. On the other hand, the calm state of mind and body leads to a slow respiratory rate and brings relaxation and pleasure.

Imagine that a person is like a battery. When he was born, he was fully charged, little by little the battery power is consuming until the energy runs out. Nowadays we used to live at full speed. We never think about our battery, we think our energy is endless.

People spend their lives in a constant hurry. We want to be first. Parents are proud of their children if they start walking and talking as soon as possible. We always compete with others. Our society believes that inaction is wrong and shameful. Chasing the goals we often forget to have a rest. Running, stressing, overworking, trying to fit into the framework of society, we consume our battery power too fast, too soon.

All our emotions revolve around breathing. The fear, anger, joy, outrage, every mood change immediately our breathing. Who controls his breathing, controls his emotions. To control your breathing, you have to first learn how to control the movement of the diaphragm.

The diaphragm separates the abdomen from the chest. It has a major role in the respiratory process. When you inhale the diaphragm contracts and flattens, allowing lungs to descend. Your lungs and ribcage expand three-dimensionally in all directions. When you exhale, your diaphragm relaxes to ascend, your ribcage and lungs compress, and the air releases out of your throat and then nose.

It is important to provide the necessary freedom of movement of the diaphragm. This means avoiding tight clothes and belts, which interfere with breathing. They press on the abdomen and make it difficult to breathe.

A calm mind and body lead to a calm nervous system, thus the breathing becomes quiet and steady. This has never been a secret for yogis and they have developed different breathing techniques to soothe mental agitation. This requires skill, practice, discipline, and concentration.

One of the best breathing techniques and my favorite for calming the mind and breathing is called ANULOM-VILOM. This yogic breathing technique brings peace of mind, lifts our center of consciousness, cleanses the chakras, and improves insomnia.

ANULOM-VILOM

!. Start in a comfortable seated position.
2. Bend your right arm at the elbow with the hand to your nose, at a 45-degree angle to your side.
3. Place your right thumb on the right nostril to prevent the flow of the air, ring finger on the left nostril, index finger, and middle fingertips touching Ajna chakra (between eyebrows).
4. Inhale slowly through the left nostril.
5. At the end of the inhalation place the ring finger on the left nostril, release the thumb.
6. And exhale slowly through the right nostril.
7. At the end of your exhalation, inhale through the right nostril, then place the thumb on the right nostril again.
8. Release the fingers from the left nostril and exhale.
9. Repeat

Did you overwhelm? Watch the video below for easier understanding!