Do you sometimes catch yourself holding your breath or barely breathing before you notice and take a deeper breath? Do you suffer with tension in your neck, shoulders and upper back? Do you feel stressed and anxious? Breathing is something we do every moment of everyday yet the majority of us aren’t experiencing the full power of the breath. It is a simple and free solution to a lot of health problems.

What happens when you breathe?

When you inhale through the nose, the diaphragm contracts moving downwards to allow the lungs to expand and fill with air. When you exhale the diaphragm relaxes moving upwards pushing the air out through the nose or mouth.

Most people tend to breathe into the top of the lungs resulting in the shoulders rising and tension forming, without utilising the full capacity of the lungs.

Benefits of Deep Breathing

~ Reduces stress, anxiety and depression by lowering cortisol levels and increasing endorphins that make us feel good. Tells the brain to relax.

~ Reduces pain through the release of endorphins, which are also natural pain killers.

~ Reduces high blood pressure by slowing the heart rate and dilating the blood vessels reducing the pressure exerted on the vessels.

~ Aids digestion by improving healthy blood flow so the organs can function better.

~ Increases oxygen levels thus reducing acidity in the body and allowing for cleansing and an increase in energy.

~ Stimulates the lymphatic system to help the body detox. 70% of cleansing and detox happens through the lungs when we exhale carbon dioxide.

~ Improves Immunity as microbes can’t survive in well oxygenated blood.

~ Calms the Nervous system by stimulating the vagus nerve, which is the King of the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the ‘rest and digest’ system. It affects mood, digestion and heart rate and helps restore the balance after we have experienced a stress or fright.

~ Supports correct posture as when you take a deep breath in and feel your diaphragm contracting and moving down, your spine straightens naturally.

~ Increases alertness and invigorates so great if you are feeling an energy dip and need to wake up as it will increase oxygen levels in your brain, helping you to focus.

~ Improves sleep and aids relaxation by stimulating melatonin production, helping to release tension and stimulating the rest phase of the nervous system.

Deep breathing exercise (Diaphragmatic breathing)

The more you practice deep breathing, the easier and more natural it feels. So try to allocate some time at least once or twice a day, perhaps in the morning when you wake up and before bed at night to take advantage of all the health benefits it offers.

You can either sit up straight or lie down and get comfortable. I find lying down is easier to start with.

• Take a minute to tune into how you are feeling, where you are feeling any tension.

• Place a hand on your tummy and a hand on your chest and breathe in deeply. Notice which hand moves. The hand on your tummy should rise as your diaphragm expands and moves downwards and the hand on your chest should remain still until your lungs expand with breath at the end of the breath. Do this to a count of 4.

• Hold this breath in for a count of 7 to allow the oxygen to absorb into the cells.

• Then exhale the breath through your mouth like you are blowing out candles to a count of 8.

• Repeat this for a few cycles until you start getting into a rhythm. You can play around with the counts to what feels right for you.

• You can either focus on the breath or use a mantra like So hum (I am) to stay focused and keep your mind from wondering too much.

By getting into the habit of deep breathing when you aren’t feeling stressed, you will find it easier to use when you need to calm yourself when experiencing stress and anxiety.

The breath is one of the simplest solutions we have to restore balance and calm, yet is often overlooked. I find the busier life gets, the more shallow we breathe. Perhaps a sign to slow down, be more mindful and work with our breath.

What breathwork do you find helpful?

I would love to hear from you, let me know what you find helpful to restore calm.

With love,