8 Effective Breathing Exercises That Help Shed Belly Fat

Aug 08, 2018

Pranayama is the term invented to mean being aware of your breathing. If you are a practitioner of yoga, chances are you have heard this term before. Pranayama breathing techniques is a very important part of yoga, and these techniques can also help you lose belly fat. Doing thousands of crunches isn't the only way to lose some weight around the waist. Breathing techniques are surprisingly effective at helping with excess belly fat. The following breathing techniques are a great starting point for someone who wants to get into pranayama techniques.

This technique's intention is to increase metabolism. A faster metabolism means calories are being used up much faster, speeding up the pace of which body fat is lost. In order to do this technique you need to lie on your back. Place your hands on your belly. Now inhale through your nose, feeling your stomach expand. Purse your lips and exhale, allowing the stomach to fall. It is important to make sure your chest remains still during this exercise. Do this exercise for about 10 minutes at a time.

This is an exercise for strengthening the inner abdominal muscles. Lie on your back with your knees bent. The feet should be flat on the floor. Slowly inhale as much air as your lungs can hold. Now exhale the most air you can. After the air has been emptied out of your lungs, hold your position for 15 to 20 seconds. You should be inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth during this exercise.

This exercise is all about alternating short exhales with long inhales. Sit on a mat with your legs crossed. Put your hands on the knees and take in a deep breath. Now exhale a little bit of the air at a time. Release the entire breath through a series of short exhales. Repeat this exercise, with each series of inhales and exhales lasting 30 to 60 seconds.

Have a seat for this exercise, either directly on the heels of the beet or with the legs crossed. Keep the spine straight and the shoulders relaxed. Put your left hand on the knee with the palm up. Put the tips of the index finger and thumb together. Now place your index and middle fingers on the forehead right between your eyes. The goal here is to use the other fingers to close each nostril. Alternate pressing each nostril, keeping it closed, only breathing through the other one. It is best to do 5 to 10 cycles of this breathing exercise.

Sit on a mat however you'd like, but make sure your spine and neck is straight. The palms of the hands should be resting on the knees. Relax your stomach muscles, then close your eyes. Now inhale and exhale in a forceful manner. For this exercise to work you need to make sure you are breathing deep and rhythmic. Each inhale and exhale should be about 1 second. Do this exercise for a total of 5 minutes.

While sitting on a mat with the legs crossed, close your ears with your thumbs. Put your index fingers over your closed eyes and begin to slowly inhale. Now keep your mouth closed and exhale. While you are exhaling you should be making a humming sound. Do 5 to 10 cycles.

You should be seated for this exercise. Keep your spine and neck completely straight, and place your hands on the knees. Now close your eyes and breathe through the nose while keeping your facial muscles relaxed. Allow your inhales and exhales to happen equally, breathing deeply and exhaling powerfully. You should keep breathing deep for upwards of 10 minutes.

This exercise is done on the knees. Exhale completely, tighting the chest and abdomen. Now you will do a fake inhale. Perform the actions of inhaling, but don't allow the lungs to take in air. This should be done 3 to 5 cycles.

These breathing exercises have proven to be quite helpful to fight belly fat. Combining these exercises with a healthy diet will further improve results. Which of these breathing exercises would you try? Have you tried pranayama before? Do let us know your feedback in the comments! 

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!