Pranayama – A Yoga Breathing Practice For You: Humming Bee Breathing

Athletes and singers must have good lung capacity to excel and are aware of the many benefits of the habits of correct breathing. In fact, they are professional breathers as learning to breathe correctly is an important part of their training! Learning how to breathe deeply, how to hold the breath is a skill that they acquire. We could all do well to learn these practices for the general benefits that purposeful breathing brings.

Many health practitioners too are aware of using the breath to help develop the diaphragm to aid with asthma, bronchitis, heart conditions and in general oxygenate the body and help purify the blood. Furthermore, did you know that breathing exercises can help you de-stress in just a matter of minutes? A few rounds of prolonged inhalation and exhalation can boost your energy, improve your focus, and just feel better all over!

In yoga, this practice is called pranayama. Pranayama encompasses many different forms and produces many different health benefits such as increasing melatonin and enhancingthe immune system. It is scientifically proven and it is simple to do anywhere throughout the day.

Today’s Gold Nugget shows you how to do “humming bee” breathing. It is quite like the usual way you breathe, but the difference is when doing pranayama, you make a gentle sound and are more aware of the air as it moves through your body.

All you need to do the humming bee breathing exercise is a quiet place where you can sit down.

• To start, sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
• Gently close your lips and relax your jaw.
• Now, place your index or middle finger to plug your ears.
• Pay attention to your forehead and slowly inhale through the nose.
• Then exhale slowly, making a deep, steady sound like that of a bee.
• Be aware of your breath as it enters your nose down through your throat and your lungs, and as you contract your lungs to exhale.

At the end of exhalation, you may keep your hands where they are or put them down for a while to rest and then raise them again for the next round.

Try doing 5-10 rounds of pranayama and you should be able feel relaxation. You will notice that your heart beats slower and you can breathe much lighter.