10-Minute Breathing Exercises You Can Use to Lose Weight

Weight loss doesn’t always require eating tasteless salads and regular visits to a gym. Your desired body shape can be achieved way easier — through simple deep breathing. Combined with simple physical exercises, deep breathing can help remove excess fat and make the results last. While doing them, our body is filled with a bigger amount of oxygen, which helps us absorb nutrients and accelerates our metabolism.

Bright Side found 6 out-of-the-box breathing exercises, that will not take much time and will require using a bottle, making a funny face, imitating a boat, and, of course, taking deep breaths.

1. Bottle Breathing Exercise

This exercise is a combination of popular bodyflex breathing exercises and the famous Frolov’s Training. You’ll just need an empty plastic bottle for it.

The initial position: Get on all fours and squeeze the neck the bottle between your teeth.

What to do:

• Inhale and exhale slowly, using diaphragmatic breathing.
• Breathe in through your nose, then force the air out in the bottle, while flexing your diaphragm and abdominal muscles. The most important part is to make a short, yet slightly powerful, exhale.
• Do 15 of these exhales or simply repeat the exercise for 10-15 minutes without counting.

Important: Do the exercise carefully, don’t make yourself feel dizzy! If you feel like you are out of breath or any other discomfort, take a break, and return to the exercise later.

2. Lion’s Breath

Even though this exercise might look a bit silly, it’s extremely good for your neck and helps to remove double chin.

The initial position: Prepare your yoga mat, kneel, and rest your buttocks on your feet.

What to do:

• Place your palms between your legs, palms facing in, and straighten your arms.
• Inhale through your nose, then exhale strongly through your mouth, while making a “ha” sound.
• During exhaling, open the mouth wide open and stick your tongue as far out as possible toward your chin (imagine a yawning lion). Your neck, chin, and face muscles should feel tension.
• At last, inhale. Repeat 4-6 times.

3. Raised Stretched-Out Foot Pose

This exercise impacts your abdominal muscles, strengthens lower back and psoas muscles, and improves posture.

The initial position: Lie down on your yoga mat, pull your knees up, and stretch your legs properly.

What to do:

• Put your palms on the floor on both sides of your pelvis.
• Exhale and put your hands behind your head and straighten them at your elbows. Take 2 breaths.
• While exhaling, lift your legs at an angle of 90° from the floor and stay in this position for 15–20 seconds. Breathe in a normal rhythm.
• On your next exhale after the 15-20 second hold, lower your legs so that they are at an angle of 60° to the floor. Hold this position for about a minute and breathe in a normal rhythm.
• On the exhale after holding for a minute, drop your legs to an angle of 30° to the floor. Stay in this pose for 30 seconds to one minute and breathe in a normal rhythm.
• Exhale and slowly put your legs on the floor. Relax.

4. Boat Pose

This exercise engages all of your abs muscles.

The initial position: Sit on your yoga mat with your knees bent.

What to do:

• Hold your hands out toward your legs and lean back.
• Engage your abs and extend your arms straight.
• Extend your legs straight and raise your feet, making your body into a V-shape.
• Hold the V for 15-20 seconds and don’t forget to breathe calmly.
• Repeat 3-4 times.

5. Cooling Breath

This exercise gives you control over hunger and thirst, and cools down your body and mind.

The initial position: Get in a lotus position (or any other cross-legged position in which you feel relaxed).

What to do:

• Stick your tongue out and roll it.
• Inhale through your rolled tongue. Start with a 4 second inhale and exhale for 6 seconds through your nostrils.
• Do this exercise for 5 minutes.

6. “Scissors”

This exercise strengthens your transverse abdominals, helps to flatten your belly, and strengthens your entire core.

The initial position: Lie down on your yoga mat and put your legs together.

What to do:

• Place your palms down under your buttocks, your head on the floor, and keep your back pressed against the floor as well.
• Perform one cycle of inhaling and exhaling and pause.
• Raise your legs above the floor and then lower your right leg a few inches from the mat.
• Raise your right leg up and lower your left leg the same way (imagine working scissors).
• Repeat 6-7 times, then inhale and relax.

Have you tried other breathing exercises before? What effect did they have? Share with us in the comments section!

Illustrated by Leisan Gabudillina for BrightSide.me