There are a number of breathing exercises that can help you feel calm and reduce mental tension. Last month, I took you through ‘abdominal or ‘belly breathing’.
Humming Bee or Brahmari Breath is more focussed on the upper part of your body, but has the same result as it encourages you to ‘extend your ‘outbreath’ longer than your ‘in breath’- stimulating your parasympathetic nervous systmem, inducing a feeling of well being and reducing muscular tension.
Additional benefits associated with this particular exercise include reducing insomnia, strenthening throat and voice, and reducing blood pressure. It is also useful during labour and to sooth a baby, especially if performed regularly in the few months before the baby is born – I can vouch for this!
All breathing exercises should be practised on an empty stomach and althought this exercise is not advanced, if you do feel uncomfortable, stop and come back to your natural breating. Do not practice if you have a sever ear infection.
How to practice ‘Hum like a Bee’ Breathing:
- Come into a comfortable sitting position, where your body is relaxed but you have a straight spine and can breathe easily.
- Humming Bee or Brahmari Breath is often practised by closing off the senses of hearing and seeing. Blocking the ears increases the vibrations and closing the eyes helps you to focus inward. To do this, gently press the flaps of your ears closed with your thumbs and lightly place your fingers iver your closed eyes. This is not essential and if you are more comfortable, leave your hands resting on your legs.
- Keeping your mouth closed, breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose. Exhale slowly, while making a deep steady ‘mm’ sound, a humming sound, like a bee.
- Exhale slowly; do not strain. The exhalation will naturally be longer that the inhalation.
- Breathe in again through the nose and repeat. Between three and five rounds is good.
Watch the video below for a demonstration. If you are able to practise with more than one of you, I recommend trying it with your ears uncovered, as you benefit from other peoples’ humming!
