Diaphragmatic breathing in a nutshell

(re)Learning to breathe properly can dramatically improve the quality of your life, it also increases and promotes a healthy body and subsequently; a healthy mind. I say re-learning because when we are born we actually breathe this way! If you have a baby or know someone who does, watch the baby breathe; it’s all in their belly? Fortunaltely and instinctively, they only know how to breathe properly!

Most of us either breathe almost exclusively in the chest or hyperventilate (over breathe). This can be a little confusing as usually hyperventilation is thought of as very rapid breathing and causing or associated with signs of panic or nausea! It is believed that more than 90% of the world's population over breathe, i.e. take too many breaths per minute! The bottom part of our lungs has approximately 3 times the airflow of the top third and whilst we will breathe enough to survive; we may not be breathing in a way that allows us to thrive?

Here are some simple steps to help you learn to breathe normally. Normal breathing can be viewed as approx. 8 to 14 breaths per minute. However, if you have any known health issues or are taking medication, please consult your Dr. or health practitioner before attempting any breathing exercises.

Caveat: When I refer to deep breathing I am referring to breathing that allows the use of the whole of the lung, i.e. the air goes deep into the lungs. The benefit of this type of breathing is that the deeper you go in the lung the better the effect on O2, CO2 levels in the body. The correct balance of these gases is crucial to wellness and good health.

1. It is preferable to do this exercise in a room at a moderate temperature, aircon’ approx. 26° (tropical climate), or a well-ventilated room approx. 20° centigrade (non-tropical)
2. You can create a relaxing atmosphere with soft lighting and music for relaxation
3. Lie on your back, relax all your muscles, but especially the stomach muscles, place one hand on your abdomen (just above the belly button) and the other so that your fingers rest on one side of your lower rib cage (this allows you to observe how your stomach and lower chest respond to the movement of your diaphragm)
4. Take in a breath of air, through the nose, deep into your lungs (because your muscles are relaxed the contraction of the diaphragm pulls down on the central tendon and presses against the contents of the abdominal cavity, this causes the stomach to distend) and observe both the stomach and the lower rib cage expand.
5. Breath out through the nose, by keeping your mouth shut this assists with O2 CO2 levels (use your mouth to eat, drink, brush and floss your teeth and occasionally to talk)
6. Breath at a rate of 8 to 14 breaths per minute, repeat this for approx. ten minutes
7. Do this exercise two to three times a day with the objective of making this way of breathing becoming the norm

The point of breathing this way is that it helps to restore/maintain homeostasis, balance or equilibrium etc. And it is not so much that breathing this way makes us calm and relaxed, as much as it is that chest breathing or over breathing intensifies stress and anxiety. So, in that context, diaphragmatic breathing restores calm and relaxation, instead of creating it! The diaphragm also acts as a pump for our Lymphatic system and this is a vital part of our wellness system.

Diaphragmatic breathing is an almost unversally taught method to lessen the effects of anxiety or panic; but this is a reactive response and often it is too late for it to be highly effective in the moment! Learning to re-establish this natural way of breathing allows us to be more relaxed and therefore more resistant to unnecessary and unwanted stress and anxiety.

NOTE: Continue this exercise and slowly adopt it into your everyday life. When you breathe this way your whole body will benefit and work better and stay that way. However, whilst no guarantee can be offered with regard to any existing condition, it is probable that breathing this way will assist in recovery and create a more responsive immune system.

The three essential components of life are Breathing, Drinking and Eating; and in that order! So, when we Breathe properly, Drink properly and Eat properly we give our system everything it needs to perform and function well. . . . .  You know it makes sense?

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