[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/the-natural-approach\/deep-breathing-bone-health\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/the-natural-approach\/deep-breathing-bone-health\/","headline":"Deep breathing for bone health","name":"Deep breathing for bone health","description":"Print PDF eBook Facebook Twitter Gmail LinkedIn Pinterest Ancient health practitioners in Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine considered breath (prana in the Vedic system and qi in TCM)\u00a0so important to health that they developed very specific breathing exercises to ensure the effective intake of air energy. We in the West recognize breathing as essential, too, […]","datePublished":"2019-03-10","dateModified":"2026-04-22","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/author\/brownbetterbonesgmail-com\/#Person","name":"Dr. Susan E. Brown, PhD","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/author\/brownbetterbonesgmail-com\/","identifier":72,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e08d87bd45250c6616e1752933a6576aba077f335d97ee337a0cde5e435cbd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e08d87bd45250c6616e1752933a6576aba077f335d97ee337a0cde5e435cbd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Center for Better Bones","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Better-Bones-AMP.png","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Better-Bones-AMP.png","width":150,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Deep-breathing-for-bone-health-BB-Blog-5-20.jpg","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Deep-breathing-for-bone-health-BB-Blog-5-20.jpg","height":1109,"width":2120},"url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/the-natural-approach\/deep-breathing-bone-health\/","about":["The Natural Approach"],"wordCount":835,"keywords":["deep breathing"],"articleBody":" Print PDF eBook\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFacebook\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTwitter\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGmail\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLinkedIn\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPinterest\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAncient health practitioners in Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine considered breath (prana in the Vedic system and qi in TCM)\u00a0so important to health that they developed very specific breathing exercises to ensure the effective intake of air energy. We in the West recognize breathing as essential, too, yet we take for granted that its only purpose is providing our \u201cmust-have\u201d oxygen\u2014and that\u2019s far from the case.Western science has started to learn from Eastern tradition and is discovering and documenting the many benefits of deep\u00a0nasal breathing. These include:Reducing blood pressure.Increasing availability of oxygen to the tissues.Decreasing the workload on the heart.Improving sleep and reducing insomnia.Reducing of negative emotional states like anger, confusion, fear, depression, or anxiety.Interestingly, two of the most ancient forms of Eastern practice, qigong and yoga, include a technique called “bone marrow breathing” or “bone breathing” in which one performs very careful deep nasal breathing while focusing attention on different parts of the skeleton. Studies of women practicing qigong showed increased bone density despite the fact that, as an exercise regimen, qigong is extremely low intensity and offers no loading on bones. Yoga, which offers some bone loading, has similar positive results.Numerous studies also show both qigong and yoga (among others) have positive effects on other health issues that indirectly impact bone, such as blood glucose regulation, improved mood, and heart function. Of particular interest to bone health is the last item in my list above: the effects deep breathing has on negative emotional states. When the lower lobes of the lungs are activated by deep breathing, the parasympathetic fight-or-flight response calms.I\u2019ve talked before about how stress hormones, specifically cortisol, can be harmful to bone; deep breathing is a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to reverse that through the reduction of stress.Get started with deep breathing for bone healthHere are some basic steps for starting your breathing practice:\u2022 Sit comfortably and tighten and release your muscles, noting how it feels like to relax them.\u2022 Breathe slowly and normally through your nostrils. Your normal breathing is generally quite shallow, so your next step is to begin breathing in and out more deeply\u2014but not so deeply that you feel like you are forcing the breaths.\u2022 Imagine that you have lungs in your belly and that you are creating a gap that you need to fill. Sink into that gap as you breathe in and out.\u2022 Imagine that each breath is bringing in energy. Close your eyes and visualize a bright light that\u2019s powered by your breath. Let go of any draining, heavy thoughts.\u2022 Focus your mind in the direction of what you will accomplish \u2014 such as rest or energy building. Use the chart below for suggested inhalation, hold and exhalation counts to achieve these effects.\u2022 Continue your deep breathing as long as it feels good to you. If you find yourself fretting that you should stop, then stop \u2014 but next time, try to push such thoughts aside and go longer.If you\u2019d like other short breathing exercises, we have a Meditations for Bone Health download available in our shop with 5 very special bone building audios. \u00a0Some can be done while walking, others while seated in meditation. I encourage you to give them a try![av_toggle_container initial=’0′ mode=’accordion’ sort=” styling=” colors=” font_color=” background_color=” border_color=” av_uid=’av-z05oglfo’ custom_class=”][av_toggle title=’References’ tags=” av_uid=’av-l12q71j8′]ReferencesAn T, He ZC, Zhang XQ, et al. Baduanjin exerts anti-diabetic and anti-depression effects by regulating the expression of mRNA, lncRNA, and circRNA. Chin Med. 2019 Feb 1;14:3. doi: 10.1186\/s13020-019-0225-1. eCollection 2019.Chen HH, Yeh ML, Lee FY. The effects of baduanjin qigong in the prevention of bone loss for middle-aged women. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 2006;34:741\u2013747.Elliott WJ, Izzo JL Jr. Device-guided breathing to lower blood pressure: case report and clinical overview. MedGenMed. 2006 Aug 1;8(3):23.Jahnke R, Larkey L, Rogers C, et al. A Comprehensive Review of Health Benefits of Qigong and Tai Chi. Am J Health Promot. 2010 JUL-AUG; 24(6): e1\u2013e25. doi: 10.4278\/ajhp.081013-LIT-248Jerath R, Beveridge C, Barnes VA. Self-Regulation of Breathing as an Adjunctive Treatment of Insomnia. Front Psychiatry. 2018; 9: 780.Published online 2019 Jan 29. doi: 10.3389\/fpsyt.2018.00780Motorwala ZS, Kolke S, Panchal PY, et al. Effects of Yogasanas on osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Int J Yoga. 2016 Jan-Jun; 9(1): 44\u201348. doi: 10.4103\/0973-6131.171717Russo MA, Santarelli DM, O\u2019Rourke D. The physiological effects of slow breathing in the healthy human. Breathe (Sheff). 2017 Dec;13(4):298-309. doi: 10.1183\/20734735.009817.Zaccaro A, Piarulli A, Laurino M, et al. How Breath-Control Can Change Your Life: A Systematic Review on Psycho-Physiological Correlates of Slow Breathing. Front Hum Neurosci. 2018; 12: 353.Zou L, Sasaki JE, Wei GX, et al. Effects of Mind-Body Exercises (Tai Chi\/Yoga) on Heart Rate Variability Parameters and Perceived Stress: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. J Clin Med. 2018 Oct 31;7(11). pii: E404. doi: 10.3390\/jcm7110404.[\/av_toggle][\/av_toggle_container] "},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"The Natural Approach","item":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/the-natural-approach\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Deep breathing for bone health","item":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/the-natural-approach\/deep-breathing-bone-health\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]