As the colder months settle in, our lungs and respiratory system need extra care. The drop in temperature can affect our breathing, making it crucial to pay attention to how we breathe and protect our lungs. In Autumn and Winter air is often drier, and indoor heating systems can strip the air of moisture, potentially irritating our respiratory tracts. But by focusing on conscious breathing and taking steps to protect and strengthen our lungs, we can enhance our overall health and immune function.
Breathe Deeply and Consciously: Support Your Lungs and Immune System in Autumn and Winter
Why Our Lungs Matter in Winter
Our lungs play a critical role in filtering the air we breathe and supporting our immune system. Breathing well keeps our body oxygenated, helps us release toxins, and promotes a calm, clear mind. During colder months, dry air can irritate the airways, increasing the risk of respiratory infections like colds, flu, and bronchitis. Strengthening your lungs now not only makes you more resilient against these seasonal threats but also helps you maintain energy levels during the darker, colder days.
Simple practices can help us not only protect our lungs but also use our breath to stay grounded and balanced. By giving our lungs the attention they deserve, we’re also helping to reduce stress and anxiety—common struggles in the Autumn and Winter Seasons when daylight is scarce and the pace of life often increases.
Conscious Breathing: A Daily Practice
By focusing on how we breathe, we can improve our lung capacity and reduce stress. A simple breathing exercise like diaphragmatic breathing (or belly breathing) helps engage the diaphragm, which increases lung efficiency and calms the nervous system. This type of breathing stimulates the vagus nerve, which is responsible for activating the body’s relaxation response, making it especially helpful during stressful times.
How to Practice Diaphragmatic Breathing:
- Find a comfortable seated or lying-down position.
- Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen.
- Inhale deeply through your nose, allowing your abdomen to rise as your lungs fill with air (your chest should stay relatively still).
- Exhale slowly through your mouth, letting your abdomen fall as the air is released.
- Repeat this for 5–10 minutes daily, especially during moments of stress or when you feel your lungs are tight.
Incorporating this simple practice into your daily routine can help you breathe more deeply and efficiently throughout the day. Over time, diaphragmatic breathing strengthens the lungs and reduces the likelihood of shallow, stress-induced breathing, which can tax your respiratory system.
Breathing Exercises to Strengthen Your Lungs
Incorporate these breathing techniques into your daily routine to strengthen and expand your lungs:
- Box Breathing (Square Breathing): Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, hold again for 4 seconds. Repeat for 3–5 minutes. This technique calms the mind while strengthening lung function. It’s particularly useful during stressful moments, as it slows your breathing and brings your body back into balance.
- Alternate Nostril Breathing: This yogic breathing technique helps balance your body and mind, supporting respiratory health and calming the nervous system. Hold your right nostril closed, inhale through the left, close the left nostril, and exhale through the right. Repeat on the opposite side. This practice not only improves lung capacity but also balances the flow of energy between the two hemispheres of the brain, promoting mental clarity.
By engaging in these exercises regularly, you’ll notice a greater sense of calm and an increase in lung capacity, making it easier to navigate colder, drier conditions. You can also use these exercises to wind down in the evenings, encouraging restful sleep.
Extra Tips for Lung Health This Season:
Stay Hydrated: Keeping hydrated is essential, as moisture helps thin mucus and supports lung function. Aim for warm or room-temperature water, as cold drinks can constrict the airways. Adding herbal teas like peppermint or ginger can also soothe the respiratory tract while boosting immune health.
Humidify Your Home: A humidifier adds moisture to dry winter air, which can help ease irritation in your airways. Keeping indoor humidity at around 40-60% helps protect your lungs from dryness and supports overall respiratory health, reducing the likelihood of infections and throat irritation.
Practice Breathable Movement: Gentle exercises like yoga, tai chi, or Pilates emphasise breath control, helping to increase lung capacity and ease tension. Regular movement keeps your lungs active and oxygen flowing, even on days when you might feel tempted to hibernate. Try incorporating breath-synchronised movements to keep both your body and lungs warm and flexible during the colder months.
Get Fresh Air: Even when it’s cold, try to get outside to breathe in fresh air. Indoor environments tend to trap pollutants, so balancing it with outdoor air helps. Fresh, crisp air can invigorate the body and clear out any indoor stagnation, supporting both your mental and physical health.
Support Your Immune System: Include antioxidant-rich foods like garlic, ginger, turmeric, and green leafy vegetables to boost immunity and protect your respiratory system. These foods are not only warming but help your body fight off respiratory infections, making them great staples for winter meals. Have a look at some of my warming recipes.
As winter sets in, we can embrace this season as a time to breathe deeply, literally and metaphorically.
Conscious breathing not only supports our lungs but also enhances our overall well-being. When we take time to focus on our breath, we can better manage stress, improve our immune response, and build a foundation of strength during the cold season.
The simple act of taking mindful breaths can boost your immune system, reduce stress, and create a sense of calm amidst the seasonal chill. Let each breath be a reminder to care for yourself, creating warmth and resilience from the inside out.
And, don’t forget I offer a number of mindful yoga classes online and in studio where you can explore and dive deeper for longer in to conscious breaths synchronise with mindful movements. Check out my upcoming Autumn an hour and extended longer practices.
Till soon… with health and strength,
Julia xx