This is how you relieve stress

Take a breath and let’s start with our breathing workshop. We’ll warm up with short-winded numbers first, then practice below. So: did you know?

… we average per minute 15 breaths To do? Its frequency decreases in adulthood. In infants, this cadence is 40 to 50 times.

… to us every day 20,000 times breath?

… we converted its content until the age of 21 3.5 million balloons take a breath?

When we breathe, we fill the lungs with air through the trachea and bronchi. Via the alveoli and capillaries, it enters the blood and then into the cells. The used air, carbon dioxide, returns from the body.

Fun fact in between: While reading this text, Breathe in and out seven times.

Benefits of conscious breathing

So much for theory. So far, very vague, now you can think about it. But that’s only part of the truth about breathing: We can use breathing in many different ways – with a particular focus on it. through breathing exercises. For example, our breathing is short, rapid, and shallow when we are restless, stressed, or angry. Simple exercises allow us to get down from “180”.

True, targeted breathing has a number of direct effects, including reductions in heart rate (up to 15 percent), blood pressure (up to 10 percent), and cortisol (stress hormone; up to 25 percent). In the long run, mindful breathing helps us reduce stress, increase concentration and improve our performance, and sleep more peacefully.

Smart tool for better breathing

Provider Chojuu took conscious handling of breathing to heart. This was recently taken over by Virtusan AG, a Swiss startup based in Lucerne. Li Wu was founded. Virtusan offers holistic approaches to its users to change behavior for a happier, healthier and longer life. The spinoff of the famous ETH Zurich is the latest addition to the Virtusan health app, enabling breathing exercises, analysis, challenges and scientific insights to improve breathing and therefore our overall health.

“Everything takes just 5 to 10 minutes a day,” explains Theresa Schachner, former founder and CEO of Chojuu and Virtusan’s new Head of European Revenue. and David Wyss Former founder and COO of Chojuu and new CFO of Virtusan and Head of Corporate Development adds: “The exercises can also be used anytime and anywhere – and are extremely easy to learn.”

This is also illustrated by the concrete example that the producers came up with. More on that in a moment. But first we’ll hold our breath for a moment – for a world record.

was out of breath

Who did this? A Swiss! Okay, just temporarily: In the fall of 2011, freediver Peter Colat broke the record for holding his breath underwater for more than a minute with a time of 21 minutes 33 seconds. That record has now gone to Croatia: Budimir Sobat managed to stay without air for 24 minutes and 33 seconds in the spring of 2021.

Breathtaking through the forest

How often and how deeply we breathe per minute depends on the body’s oxygen requirements. The more strenuous an activity, the greater the amount of oxygen required. When we sleep, we need 4.7 liters of air per minute. If we run fast, it’s 60 liters per minute – about twelve times as much as when we sleep.

Attention, side seam!

We run the risk of getting stitches on the side when we run. This unpleasant side effect can occur if we exhale too briefly during racing, which leads to a lack of oxygen in the diaphragm. Therefore, correct breathing technique is also important here.

5 steps to relax

Intermediate: What we already know about this point in the text Breathe in and out 23 times. And have enough air for the announced breathing exercise. It is a short training session of Virtusan practice that teaches us yogic breathing in five steps. This breathing technique is responsible for creating maximum space in the lungs. This is done by combining abdominal, side and chest breathing. Yogic breathing also has a harmonious effect on the body and mind.

Stage 1
Let’s start. For this exercise, sit in a chair as comfortable and upright as possible. Now you begin to breathe slowly and observe yourself as you breathe in and out.

step 2
Now move on to abdominal breathing. To do this, place both hands on your stomach. Notice how your fingers expand as you inhale and contract as you exhale. Then try to do everything with awareness from the back: inhale from the back, exhale with your hands from the side to the front, give a slight contraction.

Stage 3
Next, focus on side breathing. To do this, place your hands on your lower ribs and let your elbows fall loosely to the side. Breathe into your “hands” again: as you breathe out, the chest expands, your hands now gently press against your ribs. As you exhale, contract slightly again.

step 4
Now place your hands slightly above your chest, specifically between your breastbone and collarbone. Breathe into your hands again. You will notice that chest breathing is less deep, and you may even feel a little uncomfortable.

Step 5
Now comes the finale: the combination of abdominal, side and chest breathing. To do this, place your hands loosely on your thighs with your palms facing up. Now practice full yogic breathing by connecting the three pre-trained breathing zones. So breathe first from the back to the abdomen, then from the sides to the ribs and finally to the chest. As you exhale, make sure to keep your chest wide and pull your stomach slightly. Repeat this sequence several times.

After a certain time, there are pauses in breathing. They thrive on their own and can expand naturally over time. This creates a calming sense of relaxation in the long run. According to Theresa Schachner, this relaxation effect is achieved through the breathing technique, “and even reinforced by breathing pauses.” A practical tool that we always have at hand. Schachner concluded: “Everyone, whether individually or as a team in the office, can become healthier and more productive with the power of breathing.”

Made! You have successfully breathed throughout this article. Let’s get a share: what do you think How many times did you breathe while reading the entire text? The answer is below.

(Correct answer: about 38 times)