Most people do not breathe correctly. You may have heard this before and it is true. The majority of people only use the top half of their lungs. This is a problematic because in this scenario, there is not enough oxygen flowing through the body. Shallow breathing, and even over-breathing is more stressful on the body than you may think. Bad breathing techniques lead to an unbalanced nervous system, shrinkage of blood vessels, and a lack of energy for the brain, heart, and muscles.
Conversely, Dr. Mandell – known for his popular breathing Youtube videos – claims, “Proper breathing elevates your mood, increases your stamina, your mental clarity, as well as detoxifying our own eternal system.” The tension and anxiety and stresses that we live in everyday affect our breathing; they affect how we bring oxygen into the cells. But at one point, everybody knew how to breathe correctly without any thought to it. So how do we breathe properly again?
Dr. Mandell suggests, “Watch the babies. They breathe so gentle. So non forceful. So easy. They breathe from their stomach instead of from their chest like we do as adults.”
In order to correct this, first breathe through the nose. You should always inhale and exhale through the nose and for two reasons at least. One is because you breathe in deeper when doing so (the exhale is just as important as the inhale because you are ridding your body of carbon dioxide amongst other toxins), and the other reason is because your nose is a filter. There are elements that are not useful to your body in which the nose filters out; the mouth does not. Breathing through the nose makes it easier to engage your diaphragm, located directly under the lungs (the second step to breathing properly).
According to selfication.com, “70-80% of the inhaling should be done by the diaphragm so that your breathing is nice and deep.” The advantages of doing so are: it helps the lungs with the gas exchange that we talked about earlier, the heart will not have to work as hard due to the decrease in pressure on the chest and belly, and relaxation in the chest, neck, and shoulders. When you begin breathing right again, you are conscious of it.
Consequently, it is not uncommon to over breathe. Relax. Remember, if you watch a baby breathe, it is effortless. Breathing too hard both reflects and compiles the stress in your life. By taking control of your breathing, your body follows suit and relaxes, optimizing bodily functioning altogether.
So starting right now, you can inhale and exhale through your nose. Make sure your mouth is closed and your tongue is placed up the palate to allow the maximum amount of oxygen flow. Next, according to selfication.com, “An extended exhale increases the relaxation and makes the inhale deeper and more rhythmical. For optimal breathing the inhale should be 2-3 seconds, exhale 3-4 seconds followed by a pause for 2-3 seconds.” Next, be conscious of your posture. Why? The diaphragm has more space to expand and contract; remember your diaphragm allows correct breathing, pulling oxygen to the gut and lungs. Lastly, breathe silently. “Coughing, snoring, sniffling, etc. are all suboptimal breaths. It’s easy toneglect all these sounds, but a breathing pattern that contains a lot of these elements is a huge strain to the body. The natural breath falls out of its rhythm,” explains selfication.com. As a result, the body cannot get a good breathing rhythm going.
Babies breathe correctly because they have yet to be exposed to all the stress factors that adults have. But you cannot continue to let stress affect something as primal and vital as breathing. It is the first thing you do! You can look at it like learning how to breathe properly as an adult is a rebirth.
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