What Is The Proper Way Of Breathing: Master The Art
Breathing may seem like a natural instinct, but did you know there’s such a thing as a proper breathing technique? We all breathe, day in and day out, but mastering the art of proper breathing is actually something that many struggle with. In this blog, we will delve into what is the proper way of breathing and teach you to set things straight if your breath has become out of whack.
Breathing properly is not just about inhaling and exhaling; it’s about how you breathe, which can have a significant impact on your overall health and well-being. You see, proper breathing is essential for keeping our bodies in tip-top shape. When done right, we give every cell a big gulp of oxygen while getting rid of those pesky waste gases, like carbon dioxide. This simple yet powerful process helps maintain the delicate balance in our bodies and enables our systems to run smoothly so that we can be at our absolute best.
A few years back, I found myself at a point of exhaustion and fatigue due to the unrelenting speed and pressures of life. I had hit the proverbial wall. I couldn’t catch my breath, my heart was always racing, and I constantly felt on edge. That’s when I, stumbled upon the incredible power of breathing properly. It wasn’t an instant fix, and paying attention to my breath is something I still do to this day, but as I started to tap into the amazing potential of the breath, my anxiety melted away, my energy skyrocketed, and I finally started to feel like myself again. Believe me, being mindful of my breath completely transformed everything.
So if this sounds anything like you, read on to discover how you too can recalibrate your breathing rhythm to its natural state.
How The Breath Works
When you breathe, the goal is to nourish your body with oxygen and to rid it of carbon dioxide. To make this happen, three components of your body need to work together: the lungs, the diaphragm, and the muscles between your ribs (the intercostal muscles).
When you breathe in, your diaphragm contracts and moves downward, creating more space in your chest cavity. This allows the lungs to expand as they fill up with air. At the same time, the intercostal muscles between the ribs assist in expanding the chest cavity.
When you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes, returning to its resting position. It rises back into the chest cavity, pushing against the lungs, and helps to expel air.
This natural ebb and flow are essential for inhaling fully and exhaling completely but is unfortunately where most breathing errors occur.
Common Breathing Mistakes
Shallow breathing and vertical breathing are two common ways that people can breathe in a way that isn’t as good for their bodies. In both instances, the natural movement of the diaphragm is largely left out of the equation.
When we take shallow breaths, also known as thoracic or chest breathing, we only inhale a small amount of air into our lungs. This usually happens by using the intercostal muscles rather than the diaphragm. This means that not as much oxygen gets to the lower parts of our lungs, where many of the small blood vessels that carry oxygen to your cells are located. The result is we are depriving our body of oxygen.
On the other hand, when you breathe vertically, taking a breath feels like you’re stacking oxygen from the bottom of your lungs to the top, and your chest and shoulders move upward as you inhale. This means you only use a fraction of your lungs to take in air, again depriving your body of oxygen. Because your diaphragm is kept pretty much stagnant during breathing, it can cause tension and tightness in your neck and upper body, as well as leading to back pain.
Chronic hyperventilation is another consequence of incorrect breathing. It occurs when we breathe too quickly or too deeply over an extended period. This rapid breathing can upset the delicate balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in our blood, leading to a state known as hypocapnia. Symptoms may include dizziness, light-headedness, confusion, shortness of breath, and even loss of consciousness.
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The Breath/ Health Connection
Improper breathing can have a huge impact on our overall health, both physically and mentally. Everything in our bodies needs oxygen to function properly, from our brains to our digestive systems.
When we don’t get enough oxygen, it can make us feel tired, affect our ability to think clearly, and even make us more stressed out. It can also cause headaches, and heart problems, as well as mess with our mood, leading to feelings of anxiety or depression.
So, it’s crucial to make sure we’re getting enough oxygen through proper breathing techniques. In the following sections, we’ll examine how you might have developed unhealthy breathing habits in the first place and discover effective exercises and lifestyle changes to improve them.
How You Got Off Track
Remember when you were a child, and breathing was as easy as… well… breathing? Then life happened – stress, poor posture, weight gain, and even the air we breathe started affecting this essential process.
Stress is a notorious culprit. It has a way of creeping into our lives and making us adopt shallow, rapid breaths. Our bodies react to stress by activating the ‘fight or flight’ response, which alters our breathing pattern. Instead of the deep, calm breaths we should be taking, we start to take quick gasps that do not fully oxygenate our bodies and lead to a feeling of constant breathlessness.
A sedentary lifestyle is another factor. Desk jobs and long periods of inactivity can contribute to poor posture. Hunched shoulders or an arched back can restrict your diaphragm’s movement, leading to shallow breaths.
Weight issues also play a role. Obesity puts additional pressure on the diaphragm, making it harder to draw a deep breath. This leads again to shallow breathing and less oxygen reaching your cells.
Lastly, environmental pollutants can’t be overlooked. Poor air quality due to pollution can further exacerbate incorrect breathing habits by causing inflammation in your respiratory tract.
Test Yourself
But how do you know if you’re not breathing properly? It’s time to test yourself, and here are 2 ways of doing it:
Stop and take a deep breath. Do your shoulders rise and lengthen your body when you breathe in? Then, when you exhale, do the shoulders come back down and contract your chest? If you answered yes, you’re doing it wrong.
Lie down on your back and place one hand on your upper chest while the other rests on your abdomen. Breathe normally. If you notice movement in the hand on your chest while breathing, but not so much in the one on your abdomen, it indicates that you are a chest breather. Significant movement in the chest suggests inefficient breathing.
Other signs to look out for:
Breathlessness: If you often find yourself short of breath after performing normal daily activities that didn’t use to tire you out, it might be due to incorrect breathing.
Chest Tightness: A feeling of tightness or discomfort in your chest could indicate that you’re not getting enough air.
Frequent Sighing: While sighing occasionally is normal, doing it frequently is a sign that your body is trying to get more oxygen because you’re not breathing deeply enough.
Recognizing these signs early on is the first step to getting back on track. But don’t despair! In our next section, we’ll explore some simple exercises that can help you relearn the proper way of breathing.
Breathing Exercises To Get You Back On Track
Breathing correctly can seem as natural as…well, breathing. But often, we need to retrain our bodies to do it effectively. For most people, the trick is to re-include the diaphragm in the breathing pattern. Here’s the good news: diaphragmatic breathing exercises are simple and can be done anywhere, anytime. Ready to get started? Let’s breathe new life into your lungs with these techniques.
Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercise
This foundational technique is all about returning to the basics of using your diaphragm properly.
Find a comfortable position: Lie on your back or sit in a chair, keeping your back straight.
Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly: This allows you to feel the correct muscles as they move.
Breathe in slowly through your nose: Aim to direct the air downwards so that your belly rises while your chest remains relatively still.
Pause gently: Hold your breath for a moment at the top of the inhalation.
Exhale slowly through pursed lips: As you do this, tighten your stomach muscles, letting them fall inward. The hand on your chest should remain as still as possible.
Practice this for 5-10 minutes daily, gradually increasing the duration as you feel comfortable.
More Breathing Techniques To Explore
Once you get the hang of breathing with your diaphragm, there’s an array of breathing exercises that can help you out in different situations:
4-7-8 Breathing Technique – A tranquil pattern that promotes relaxation
Alternate Nostril Breathing – A balancing act that harmonizes both sides of the brain
Box Breathing – Also known as square breathing, is perfect for concentration and focus
Deep Breathing – It’s all about full, deep inhales and complete exhales
Numbered Breathing – An exercise for control and mindfulness
By incorporating these exercises into your daily routines, noticeable improvements in stress levels and overall well-being may manifest swiftly – giving an empowering sense of control over your health journey.
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The Benefits of Breathing Properly
Embracing the proper way of breathing leads to a plethora of benefits that positively impact every aspect of life. Here are some of the wonderful benefits you can expect:
1. Increased Energy
Right breathing techniques ensure optimal oxygen supply to muscles and organs, therefore boosting energy levels and preventing fatigue.
2. Stress Reduction
Deep, diaphragmatic breathing triggers the body’s relaxation response, reducing stress hormones and promoting a sense of calm.
3. Mental Clarity
Oxygen plays a crucial role in brain function. Improved oxygenation from correct breathing can enhance focus, memory, and overall cognitive performance.
4. Emotional Well-being
Regular practice of proper breathing exercises can stabilize mood, reduce anxiety, and foster emotional resilience.
Each benefit is like a ripple effect. For instance, lowering stress levels can help improve sleep quality which in turn boosts energy levels throughout the day. Similarly, enhanced mental clarity can lead to better decision-making and productivity at work or school.
The transformative power of proper breathing extends far beyond these individual benefits. It’s about cultivating a holistic lifestyle that prioritizes health and well-being. In the upcoming section, we’ll dive deeper into this holistic approach to wellness. So grab a cup of tea, get cozy, and let’s explore together!
6 Tips to Improve Your Breathing
1. Change your sleeping position.
How you sleep can also impact your breathing. Experiment with sleeping on your side, using pillows to elevate your head and place one between your legs. This maintains spinal alignment, keeps airways open, and potentially prevents snoring. Another option is sleeping on your back with bent knees, using a pillow under your head and knees. However, be cautious if you have sleep apnea or snore, as sleeping on your back may obstruct breathing.
2. Consider lifestyle changes
To keep your lungs healthy, adopt a positive lifestyle. Exercise, maintain a healthy weight, and consume nutritious foods, including those high in antioxidants. Avoid smoking, secondhand smoke, and environmental irritants. Enhance indoor air quality by utilizing air filters and minimizing artificial fragrances, mold, and dust.
3. Meditate
Regularly engage in meditation. Simply devote time to focusing on your breath without attempting to manipulate it. This practice may yield advantages such as mental clarity, tranquility, and reduced stress.
4. Practice Good Posture
Proper posture is not just about looking poised; it’s a building block for optimal wellness. By maintaining proper posture, you can expand your chest and thoracic spine, enabling full expansion of the rib cage and diaphragm. This promotes an increased range of motion in the front of your body and allows for more efficient and effective breathing, enhancing ease in daily and physical activities.
5. Sing It Out Loud
Singing can actually be beneficial as it improves breathing, lung function, and even posture. It teaches slower and deeper breathing while strengthening the respiratory muscles. The British Lung Foundation suggests singing to enhance breathing ability, posture, and the strength of the voice and diaphragm.
6. Stretch and Flex
To alleviate tightness in your shoulders, chest, and back, try exercises targeting flexibility, resistance, and stretching to enhance posture. This will enable you to fully expand your ribcage during breathing. Stretching or receiving massages can also aid in loosening any areas of tightness. Additionally, engaging in activities such as swimming, rowing, or any form of movement is recommended.
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Final Thoughts
Breathing is like a silent symphony that plays within us, its rhythm setting the tempo for our life’s dance. By practicing proper breathing—using our diaphragm, taking deep expanding breaths, and maintaining a steady rhythm—we unlock a treasure trove of health benefits. Every breath is an opportunity to refresh our bodies, and I hope this article has given you some insight into what is the proper way of breathing.
But listen, don’t overthink this. It’s easy to get caught up in the rights and the wrongs, and sometimes overthinking your breath can cause more confusion than clarity. I’ll leave you with two wonderful and practical tips I’ve learned from my yoga teacher:
Make sure you exhale fully. When you exhale all the air in your lungs, your body will naturally refill using the diaphragm.
When inhaling, imagine the air expanding your ribs and belly, not filling them up. This slight change in focus might stop you from vertically breathing.
Remember these techniques and insights as you continue on your journey toward a healthier, calmer, and more peaceful life.
“Expand your body with air, don’t fill it up” — yoga teacher
Got Any Questions?
How do you breathe? Let me know in the comments below!
2 Comments
Brandi
13/04/2024 at 11:19 AM
Things you never thought you would have to THINK about…
But it’s so important to do it correctly! We create so many compensations over time, that sometimes we need to reset! Thanks for the info.
Michele
16/04/2024 at 2:09 AM
I KNOW, Brandi! I had no idea how much this affected my whole being before I started paying attention to breathing properly. So glad you found it useful!