Breathwalking Adds Benefits
This kundalini yoga breathing technique, when combined with a brisk walking program, changes the basic rhythms of the body, even at cellular levels, according to the Kundalini Research Institute, in Santa Cruz, New Mexico.
Breathwalking, a particular combination of breathing and walking, improves several brain functions, according to research the institute conducted with the University of Arizona. Breathwalking, compared to normal walking, increases executive function by as much as 80 percent and improves cognitive function, judgment and mental focus. Other findings by the institute are that breathwalking improves vision, including depth of field and clarity of detail, as well as muscle balance and heart function.
“If aerobic exercise resembles the pure power of a single frequency emanating from a strong radio station, then breathwalking looks like many frequencies mixed into complex and richly textured patterns. One is a tone; the others add melody, chords and harmonies. It is like comparing loud noise to sophisticated music,” notes the organization’s website.
How to Do It
Wave breath: Inhale steadily through the nose to the count of four while taking four steps, exhale through the mouth to a count of four while taking another four steps. Stair breath: Make four distinct inhalations through the nose to a count of four while taking four steps; and then exhale through the mouth in four sharp exhalations while taking another four steps.
Dr. Jim Nicolai, who is affiliated with the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, in Tucson, has created a helpful instructional video at Tinyurl.com/HowToBreathwalk.
Image: mimagephotography/Shutterstock.com
