Breathing Exercises for Relaxation, Holding Your Breath Longer, or COPD: http://www.AskDoctorJo.com These simple breathing exercises are great for people with COPD or for people who want to be able to hold their breath longer like swimmers or surfers. These are also great for relaxation. For more physical therapy videos or to see a blog post about this video, visit http://www.askdoctorjo.com/content/breathing-exercises-copd-or-holding-your-breath-longer

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Pulmonary exercises are very important to people with COPD or even people looking to have stronger lungs. Many breathing techniques can also reduce stress and relax your body. With all breathing exercises, inhale through your nose, and exhale through your mouth with your lips pursed.

The first breathing exercise is very simple. Breath in through your nose for 2 seconds and breath out through your mouth with pursed lips for 4 seconds. Do this 10 times.

Now you are going to move your arms with the breathing to loosen up the muscles around your chest area. Put your arms out in front of you and clasp your hands together. Take a deep breath in through your nose, and as you are breathing out through your mouth, twist your trunk, moving your arms side to side. Repeat this 5 times.

Next is the "chicken wing" exercise. Place your hands on your shoulders, which will make you look like you have chicken wings. Take a deep breath in and make circles with your arms as you are breathing out. Repeat this 5 times.

Breathing with your diaphragm, or belly breathing, is a great way to relax. Instead of your chest rising when you breath, you want your stomach to move in and out. To make sure you are doing this correctly, you can place your hands on your stomach with your fingers almost interlocking. When you breathe in and out, your fingers should get closer together and further apart. Do this 5 times.

Finally is a technique that helps push out all your reserve oxygen and helps get your lungs stronger. You want to forcefully blow all your air out of your lungs. At the end, you will hold your breath and swallow or try to breathe back in without taking a breath. This will make a suction like feeling in the notch at your throat. Try to hold it as long as you can, but since you have pushed all the air out, it might not be for very long. When you take a breath in, it will make a suction like noise if you have done it right. Repeat 5 times.

DISCLAIMER: This video and any related comments are not medical advice. Doctor Jo is a licensed Physical Therapist and Doctor of Physical Therapy; however, she is not YOUR Physical Therapist and can't possibly diagnose you through the Internet. So don't use this information to avoid going to your own healthcare professional or to replace the advice they have given you. This information is only intended to show you the correct technique for physical therapy exercises and should not be used to self-diagnose or self-treat any medical condition. If you are not properly diagnosed, this information won't help, and it could make things worse. So seriously, check with your healthcare professional before doing these techniques. If you experience any pain or difficulty while doing these exercises, stop immediately and see your healthcare professional.