breathing exercise, patients feel breathless, experience shortness of breath, and experience restlessness. In some cases, oxygen levels go below the saturation point. Therefore, it is highly essential to enhance our breathing capacity and increase our oxygen level.
There are certain ways to naturally enhance the oxygen level.
Proning Technique for Improved Oxygen Levels:
proning. With increasing cases, a few hospitals are facing a deficiency of oxygen tanks. By now, most of us are aware of how to increase the oxygen level naturally through proning.
However, we must understand this technique correctly. Using this technique, lie down on your stomach and take one pillow at the upper chest. Take another pillow below your hips, not on your stomach.
Don’t press your stomach, as your diaphragm will not move. Place the third pillow below your knee, in the lower part of your knee.
Some people may need more pillows in the hip region or leg region, depending on their comfort. This is how you are supposed to lie down in this position. You can lie down comfortably in this position for half an hour to two hours.
While lying down in this position, practice simple and easy breathing. This position helps increase blood circulation to your lungs and aids in oxygen absorption.
You can also rest your head on your hand, similar to the makarasana position in yoga. This is one part of proning.
The second part lies on the sides. After the belly-down position, one should then lie down on the side, taking the support of their arm below their head. This is called the radhasan position in yoga.
Lie down on the side, hold your hands, let your head rest on your hands, and relax your legs. You can lie down comfortably in this position for 30 minutes to two hours on both sides.
This is, in fact, the best position to sleep during normal conditions. These postures can help affected patients enhance their oxygen levels naturally and keep the alveoli unit open. However, it is important to understand that this is only an aid.
If the condition is severe, proper medical care is required. Even those who are not affected should practice all these techniques, as it would definitely increase their lung capacity. Apart from all these, a normal person can do more of the exercises that we are mentioning.
Breathing Exercises for Enhanced Lung Capacity:
All the inhaling and retention kinds of pranayamas work wonders to improve your breathing capacity and oxygen levels.
Here are some excellent breathing practices that everybody should do regularly. Firstly, equal breathing. Try to inhale slowly and fully and exhale slowly and fully, making your breath equal.
Develop more awareness about this breathing and do at least 30 rounds in a day. We have three sets of muscles: the diaphragm, intercostal, and clavicular.
When you inhale and exhale fully, you involve all three sets of muscles equally. The second breathing exercise is clavicular breathing. Bring your arms to shoulder level, inhale, and bring your chest upwards.
Push your chest upwards and breathe out, relaxing your chest and shoulders. This type of movement and breathing would help improve your clavicular breathing.
The third area is the intercostal muscle area. Try to keep both hands on the side and breathe in, expanding your ribs from the side. Breathe out and contract your ribs from the side.
This movement of the ribs would help increase the capacity of the intercostal muscles and improve oxygen levels. Another pranayama is the exercise of the diaphragm.
Lie down with your legs closer to your body. While inhaling, bring your abdomen up, and while exhaling, push the abdomen down. Do this easily—at least 30 rounds, two to three times a day. By doing this, you have used all three sets of muscles. First, you have developed these muscles, and now you have used them for a complete inhalation and exhalation.
This should be done regularly. Another breathing technique is kumbak, where you inhale and then hold your breath, stopping it for some time. This retention of breath helps open up all the alveoli units in our lungs, increasing oxygen absorption into the blood.
The last exercise could be kapalbhati. This technique helps remove toxins from the respiratory tract.
It’s a wonderful kriya. The fewer the toxins, the greater the oxygen absorption.
Sit quietly, start inhaling and exhaling, and understand that you have to suck the air from the nostril strongly and release it strongly. Do this for 30 rounds and then take a long breath in. It’s a beautiful technique that should be followed by everyone.
Dietary Considerations for Oxygen Enhancement
The third point is taking care of our diet to increase the oxygen level in our blood. We should eat more iron-rich foods to improve our hemoglobin levels, such as spinach and other green leafy vegetables.
Beans, pulses, legumes, beets, raisins, apricots, and pomegranates should also be included in our diet. Less salt in your body would help with oxygen absorption in the kidneys and blood. Additionally, drink sufficient water whenever you are thirsty.
Chest Expansion Techniques through Asanas:
The fourth technique is the chest expansion technique. We should open up our chests, and here are certain asanas that we should do regularly.
- Firstly, the wall stretched. Go to the wall, spread your arms on the side, and go closer to the wall, applying pressure. This movement against the wall will expand your chest.
- The second asana is adho mukha svanasana.
- The third is yestikasa, and the fourth is trikonasana.
These asanas will keep all the muscles involved in respiration flexible. If the chest muscles are flexible and stretched, it will help with easy inhalation and exhalation, thereby increasing oxygen intake. Follow all these tips to keep your lungs in good condition.
It will improve your oxygen levels and, above all, keep your mind free from worry.
Mental Well-being for Optimal Health:
As the mind, so is your health. As the mind, so is your breath. Try to ensure that your mind is free from stress, tension, and anxiety. Think positively, and remain cheerful and happy.
Conclusion:
Move forward with your journey. Remember that problems come and go; they never stay. Nature is there to help us, not to destroy us. Have faith, do your duty towards yourself and society, and learn to live successfully.
