SEO glossary: Google breathing exercise

 

What is the Google Breathing Exercise?

With the exception of a few secondary sources on the internet, no evidence can be found for the existence of a specific breathing exercise developed by Google. Google has only integrated a breathing exercise into its own "Google Fit" app for smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and other devices. Otherwise, there are no breathing techniques developed by the US company.

 

This glossary entry was written to provide clarity in relation to Google Breathing Exercises. Given the fact that in the fast-paced online marketing can often lead to stressful phases and there are hardly any Google breathing exercises, this glossary entry deals with breathing exercises in general. It also provides instructions on how to perform some breathing exercises.

 

 

Instructions: How the Google breathing exercise works

The Google breathing exercise can be performed on all devices on which the "Google Fit" app is compatible. For some time now, this has also included smartwatches: the "Google Fit" app can be used in Google's Wear OS operating system, which is used in Samsung smartwatches, for example. Breathing exercises are available in this app under "Google Fit Breathe". This explanatory video on YouTube provides an insight into how to use the app.

 

The app makes it possible to perform breathing exercises over different running times. The display shows the rhythm at which you should inhale and exhale. If you follow this rhythm, you focus on your breathing, distract yourself from everyday thoughts and focus your concentration. These effects are potentially helpful in the everyday activities that follow the Google breathing exercise.

 

The results of the Google breathing exercise appear on the display. In addition to the results of each individual exercise, weekly reports can also be called up. If you do Google breathing exercises regularly, you will ideally increase your awareness of your breathing on the one hand and your mental well-being on the other.

 

And that's it for the Google breathing exercise: the exercise in the "Google Fit" app doesn't contain more than a few instructions on the rhythm in which you should breathe. As experts for SEO and online marketing experts, we are confronted with the high demands and fast pace of digital working life on a daily basis, so we know how important stress prevention and a high level of concentration are for productivity and performance. That's why we take a closer look at the topic of breathing exercises below and present useful alternatives to the Google breathing exercise.

 

 

Breathing exercises in general: studies and research prove the benefits

Various reputable sources (including BARMER, Quarks, The Technicians) and studies such as the one by Sieber (2018) show that there is a lot of truth in this: breathing has an influence on how you feel physically and mentally that should not be underestimated. Conscious, controlled and slow breathing helps to reduce stress levels. This has a preventative effect against physical and mental stress symptoms. Breathing exercises can also lead to an increase in concentration.

 

If you are already experiencing physical and/or mental stress symptoms, it is particularly useful to start practicing breathing exercises. There are many different types of breathing exercises, some of which have a different focus. For a successful application with positive effects, it is not the type of breathing exercise that is decisive, but the regular and consistent practice. If you take several minutes once or twice a day to do breathing exercises, you are likely to achieve noticeable effects.

 

 

Exercise 1: 5-finger breathing according to Dr. Judson Brewer

If you take a look at the Google breathing exercise from the app, you will notice that it is basically just based on breathing in and out in a set time frame. This exercise is therefore ideal for beginners, as it raises awareness of breathing and helps to slow it down. If you don't want to look at a display, you can do 5-finger breathing according to Dr. Judson Brewer and learn a calm breathing rate with the following instructions:

 

1. Stretch out your hand so that the palm of your hand is facing your own face.
2. Use the index finger of the right hand to "trace" the left hand from right to left - i.e. from the little finger to the thumb.
3. To do this, run your index finger along each finger of your left hand from bottom to top and from top to bottom.
4. Inhale slowly as you move your index finger upwards and exhale slowly as you move it downwards.
5. Finally, walk back along the path from left to right - i.e. from the thumb of the left hand to the little finger of the left hand - and inhale and exhale as before.

 

Exercise 2: Inhale into the abdomen, exhale through the nose

The majority of people do not use their entire breathing volume. Instead of breathing into the abdomen, they only breathe into the chest, which can overload the heart, increase blood pressure and cause circulatory problems. The following exercise helps you to get into the habit of breathing in as large a volume as possible:

 

1. Take a long, deep breath until your belly bulges.
2. Now exhale slowly.
3. If you want to do the exercise more efficiently, breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose.

 

The last step of the exercise is not compulsory. Swimmers use mouth-nose breathing in all swimming styles in order to have more volume in the core of the body and therefore glide better and more relaxed on the water.

 

While breathing as in the first two steps of the exercise can also be performed at any time in everyday life, the third step of the breathing exercise - mouth-nose breathing - is intended more for training purposes and for certain sports and is unusual in everyday life.

 

Exercise 3: 6 breaths per minute

This breathing exercise is for advanced practitioners. The aim is to permanently reduce the breathing rate to six inhalations and exhalations per minute. This is achieved by breathing in and out once every ten seconds in regular and individual exercise sessions. Over time, users should become accustomed to this breathing rate and use it automatically in everyday life.

 

Alternatives to this exercise are 4-7-8 breathing and 4-7-11 breathing. To perform 4-7-8 breathing, inhale for 4 seconds, then hold your breath for 7 seconds and finally exhale slowly and hissingly through your mouth for 8 seconds. The frequency of the exercise is not prescribed, but a few minutes is a sensible minimum practice time. In 4-7-11 breathing, you inhale for 4 seconds and then exhale for 7 seconds. The whole exercise is performed slowly and in a controlled manner over a period of 11 minutes.