Breathing is considered an automatic function of our bodies, but did you know that we can improve our breathing technique?
The way in which we breathe has a direct impact and effect on our mental health and well-being.
Being more conscious and honing in on the intricacies of how we can breathe can be seen as an art form. Balancing where our breath comes from and the rhythm of our breath, brings everything together more seamlessly than before.
We usually don’t realize how many muscles are involved in the act of breathing. Faulty breathing happens when we use our neck and chest to breathe as opposed to our diaphragm. These muscles are only supposed to be used when there is a demand for more breath like during exercise or when we’re having a panic attack. It signals to our body that we need more air and thus might be in an emergency.
Relying too heavily on our neck and chest muscles to breath can result in neck strain, upper back problems, reduced rib motion, and less capacity of our lungs. It also constantly tells our body that we are in a state of needing extra breath, putting our body on high alert constantly.
Not only do the muscles we engage in breathing make a difference, but the pace of our breath sets a specific tone as well.Such as during a panic attack, quick breaths through our neck and chest muscles signal to our brain that we need air quickly. Setting the tone of our body and our mind to further be on alert, anxious, and ready for fight or flight.
So how do we improve our form when it comes to breathing?
- Start to practice breathing from your diaphragm or your stomach. If you put your hands on your chest and stomach while you breathe, you want the hand on your stomach to rise more than the one on your chest.
- Little by little, slow down your breathing by practicing paced breathing or box breathing. Paced breathing is the process of taking deliberately slow breaths where your exhale is longer than your inhale by a second or two. Box breathing is inhaling and exhaling to the count of 4, imagining a square being created from each breath.
It might seem hard or even downright impossible at first to make these changes. Just remember that practice makes perfect ! No technique is perfected in a singular moment or try, thus we need to be patient with our bodies as we start to shift ourselves into more conscious breathing.
