8 Simple Breathing Exercises To Melt Away Belly Fat

Jul 20, 2018 by apost team

If you've never been to a yoga class, you'd probably be surprised to learn that breathing techniques are just as important as the physical forms in each practice. If you adopt these 8 simple breathing techniques, then you can get the abs of your dreams without ever having to do another crunch again. Read on to find out how you can breathe your fat away!

1. Diaphragmatic Breathing

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  • Lie on your back with your hands over your belly so you can feel each breath
  • Deeply inhale through your nose until your stomach is fully extended beneath your hands
  • Exhale slowly through the mouth being careful not to move your chest
  • Aim to do this for 5-10 minutes each day, increasing the time later if you choose

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2. Stomach Vacuum

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Bodybuilders actually swear by this technique. This move can trim your waist and lower belly fat!

  • Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor -Inhale as much air as you can possibly take
  • Exhale very slowly and focus on pulling your belly button as close to your spine as possible
  • Aim to hold each pose for 20 seconds at a time
  • Repeat each cycle as often as you'd like

3. Skull Shining Breath

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  • Sit either on your knees or with crossed legs with your hands on top of your knees
  • Inhale deeply and begin to push the breath out with quick, forceful breaths that snap your belly close to your spine
  • Open your lungs with a long inhale and repeat for one minute

4. Alternating Nostril Breathing

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  • Sit with your legs crossed and ensure your back is straight and your shoulders are loose
  • Rest your left hand on your left knee with your palm facing up, connecting your index finger and thumb in a circle
  • Press your index and middle fingers of your right hand gently between your eyebrows. Place your pinky and ring fingers on your left nostril and your thumb on your right nostril
  • Gently close your right nostril with your thumb and inhale and exhale deeply
  • Open your right nostril and close your left nostril, repeating the same cycle
  • Breathing through both nostrils completes 1 cycle. Complete 10 cycles

5. Bellows Breath

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  • Sit with your legs crossed, your hands open on your knees, and your spine elongated
  • Relax your abs and close your eyes. Begin inhaling and exhaling powerfully
  • Focus on breathing deeply and symmetrically. Each inhale and exhale should last 4 seconds
  • Breathe like this for 5 minutes

6. Humming Bee Breathing

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  • Sit with your legs crossed, shoulders relaxed, and spine elongated
  • Close your ears with each thumb and press your index fingers into the skin above your eyebrows
  • Breathe deeply through your nose, keeping your mouth shut. On each exhale, hum and concentrate on feeling the vibrations through your fingers
  • Breathe in and out 10 times

7. Deep Breathing

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  • Sit with crossed legs and rest your hands on your thighs or knees
  • Close your eyes and release any tension in your facial muscles
  • Breathe deeply and focus on pulling your stomach into your spine on each slow exhale
  • Try to push away every thought so you can focus on your breaths
  • Start by breathing for 3 minutes and work your way up to 10 minutes

8. Abdominal Lock

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  • You can stand or kneel for this exercise
  • Release all the air from your lungs
  • Mimic the motions of inhaling without actually letting any air in
  • Relax your stomach and mimic another inhalation to swell your ribcage
  • Slowly release your fake inhale and relax your body
  • As you finally breathe in, imagine you are balancing the pressure inside and outside your body
  • Repeat 5 times

Which exercise are you going to try first? Be sure to challenge all of your friends to see who can get the best results from these exercises!

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!