1. The need to slow down breathing. After birth, when people rest, they use physiological breathing, also called natural breathing. This is a breath that is completely independent of ideas. Healthy adults breathe 16 ~ 20 times per minute at rest. This natural breathing method adopts chest breathing, which is mainly accomplished by raising or lowering the ribs and widening or narrowing the chest through the contraction or relaxation of intercostal muscles. This kind of breathing method is characterized by natural, gentle and uniform, but the disadvantage is that the breathing is not deep enough. Scholars who study longevity have found that the number of breaths of longevity monks during meditation is 4-5 times per minute, and some even only have 1-2 times per minute, which can be described as continuous inhalation, slight exhalation, even and deep breathing. The researchers also found that turtles with strong adaptability to the environment and famous for their long life only breathe 4-5 times per minute, while some long-lived animals such as elephants and crocodiles breathe very little; On the other hand, monkeys breathe as many as 32 times a minute. Therefore, scholars also pointed out that slowing down breathing is one of the ways to live a long and healthy life. The reason is that slow, deep, long and even breathing is more conducive to the full expansion of the lungs, more conducive to the full oxygen-carrying blood, and consumes less energy in the body.
2. The form of abdominal breathing Abdominal breathing is one of the ways to slow down breathing. Abdominal breathing is mainly accomplished by contraction or relaxation of diaphragm, which promotes the growth or shortening of thorax. There are two kinds of abdominal breathing, one is abdominal breathing, when inhaling, the diaphragm drops and the abdomen protrudes; When exhaling, the diaphragm rises and the abdomen sinks. The other is reverse abdominal breathing, which is opposite to forward breathing. When inhaling, the diaphragm rises and the abdomen sinks. When exhaling, the diaphragm drops and the abdomen protrudes.
3. The role of abdominal breathing Abdominal breathing is conducive to the expansion of the chest. Patients with chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic tracheitis and emphysema often have barrel-shaped chest deformities. In normal adults, the chest anteroposterior diameter is shorter than the left and right diameter, while the barrel chest anteroposterior diameter is equal to or even greater than the left and right diameter, and the vital capacity is blocked. At this time, the usual chest breathing method is often unable to absorb enough oxygen to meet physiological needs. If you use abdominal breathing exercise, you can not only do intercostal breathing. Furthermore, during abdominal breathing, the up-and-down movement of diaphragm and the internal and external movement of abdominal muscles will make relevant organs and tissues get beneficial massage, promote the blood circulation and lymphatic function of abdominal cavity, reduce the congestion of abdominal organs, assist the abdominal aorta to transport blood to the peripheral parts of the body, and help the blood of abdominal main vein return to the heart, thus reducing the burden on the heart. And strengthen gastrointestinal function and digestion and absorption ability, thereby enhancing intestinal peristalsis and preventing constipation.
Research shows that pre-war breathing is effective in preventing and treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and anti-abdominal breathing is effective in preventing and treating digestive system diseases. However, ancient Chinese health experts believe that reverse abdominal breathing is unique in cultivating vitality, opening up the two channels of Ren and Du, preserving vitality, prolonging life and treating five poisons and seven injuries. Traditional Chinese medicine health theory holds that abdominal breathing can activate the meridian system and enhance the function of viscera, which has a certain effect on health care and longevity. Therefore, China's Taoist health theory advocates turtle rest. The turtle's breathing method is the turtle's breathing method. The breathing method of turtles is actually a typical abdominal breathing. Because of turtle's special physiological factors, the lungs can't breathe directly, and it depends on the ups and downs of the abdomen to drive the lungs to breathe. Therefore, abdominal breathing is one of the methods of health care and longevity. The traditional qigong health care method in China is mainly based on bionic turtle breathing with abdomen, aiming at adjusting breathing in silence and making it as soft as possible.
When exercising abdominal breathing, you can see the ups and downs of the abdomen, but don't deliberately tighten the abdomen during the training operation. When you form abdominal breathing, you often feel that your whole abdomen is breathing. People with kung fu, even without the guidance of thought, will feel the abdomen automatically contracting and breathing. Therefore, the abdomen movement is naturally formed in the gradual training.
For beginners of abdominal breathing, they should change to natural breathing every 5 ~ 10 minutes to avoid respiratory muscle fatigue, paralysis, suffocation and other adverse reactions. When practicing abdominal breathing, we should also pay attention to the short inhalation time and long exhalation time, and act well according to the ratio of inhalation to exhalation of 1: 2 or 1: 3. For pregnant women and patients with ascites, abdominal breathing is not suitable for pregnant women and patients with ascites, because abdominal swelling makes it difficult to move the diaphragm. It is also difficult for hypertensive patients to practice reverse abdominal breathing. Even when practicing abdominal breathing, you should inhale naturally and exhale gently and deeply, which is beneficial to the decline of blood pressure.
In addition, no matter what breathing method you use, you should be calm, not angry and less excited at ordinary times. Because anger or excitement can make breathing rough and chaotic. If you don't have proper exercise at ordinary times, don't do strenuous exercise or heavy physical activity, because people who don't exercise do too strenuous physical load exercise, which will make their heart beat faster and their breathing faster, which will make their body unbearable and damage their health.