Tips

Breathing Exercises

1)  Lie on your back on a flat surface or in bed. Interlock your hands over     your belly. Inhale slowly through your nose and feel your stomach move       out against your hands, like a balloon that’s getting inflated. Now tighten       your abdominal muscles and exhale through your mouth, making a               sound like “Tsssssssss”. Feel your belly under your hands move slowly        back down toward the floor. Repeat several times. Stop if you feel you          start to feel dizzy!

Once you’re comfortable doing the exercise while lying down, try it while       sitting upright on a chair.

2)  Another breathing exercise that is good for strengthening the diaphragm is known in the Yoga tradition as Kapalabhati Pranayama:

"Draw the diaphragm inward sharply, forcing the air out through the              nostrils in quick thrusts. Let the inhalation take place automatically; all of      your effort should be spent in the exhalation. Each respiration should           take about one second to perform. Do this exercise 12 to 24 times to            begin with – then more, as you become accustomed to it."

--From The Art and Science of Raja Yoga by Swami Kriyananda (J. Donald Walters)