Pursed lips breathing
In this exercise, I exhale through my mouth in a slow and steady airflow. The exercise is meant to slow down my breathing and improve my ability to relax.
The way I exercise ‘pursed lips’ breathing
- Breathing: nose inhale, mouth exhale.
- Position: I sit comfortably with a straight back, relax my tongue and jaw, and close my eyes.
- Reset my breathing.
- Inhale in 3 parts, with sealed lips.
- Pucker my lips and slowly exhale in 3 parts.
- Hold my breath until ‘air hunger start.’
- Repeat for a few rounds.
Remark
When I first learned this exercise, I engaged my lips muscles as if I was about to whistle. I then visualized that I was trying to flutter a feather gently. Other imagination options: include trying to bend a candle flame or softly blowing on a Dandelion.
Pursed lips exhaling is a bit like whistling the sound of silence. It’s a slow, gentle, and quiet exercise. It peaks when my diaphragm returns to minimum amplitude and my lips gently seal.
The breath hold gives indications. If I exhale slowly enough, once holding my breath, I should rapidly reach ‘air hunger start.’