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Are You Breathing Properly?
By David Kane, Thu Dec 8th
Copyright 2005 David Kane Most people become lousy at breathing. Our bodies are naturallydesigned to breathe properly, but we tend to override thisadvantage with bad breathing habits. Your shoulders should notlift. Your chest should not stiffen. Your stomach should notpush out as you exhale. If you breathe in more than sixteentimes a minute your breathing is too rapid and too shallow. The rib cage and the diaphragm are the main parts of the bodyinvolved in inhaling and exhaling. You can feel your rib cage,but you are probably unaware of your diaphragm. The diaphragm isa thick layer of muscle between the lungs and the intestines.When you breathe in it contracts, pulling downward on the chestcavity and pressing down on the stomach and intestines. When youexhale it relaxes.
Do you use your diaphragm correctly when you breathe? Try thisexercise to find out. Lie on your back with your right handresting on your upper chest, and your left hand on your abdomen.Relax for a while until your breathing becomes normal thennotice what your hands are doing. When you breathe in your lefthand should rise and your right hand should remain fairly still. Breathing is also important because it can produce a calmingeffect when we feel anxious. Deep breathing is accepted as a wayto calm nerves in many situations. Even professionals use thetechnique before stepping on stage or standing up for a speech.Try the following next time you feel yourself becoming tense. Breathe in for a count of one, and then breathe out for a countof one. Breathe in for a count of two, and then out for a count of two. Breathe in for a count of three, and then out for a count ofthree. Continue until you are breathing in for a count of twelve, andout for a count of twelve. Keep the counting at a constantrhythm. If you cannot comfortably reach twelve do not strainyourself to reach this figure. Inhale and exhale for as long asyou find comfortable and do not hold your breath to complete thecount.
During this exercise focus on how your body expands andrelaxes as you breathe in and out. More oxygen will reach yourbrain as you do the exercise, making your mind sharper andmaking you feel refreshed and relaxed. Most of us could improve our breathing but our tendency tobreathe too rapidly and too shallow becomes exaggerated when aperson suffers an attack. If you suffer from tryto resist the urge to gasp for breath during an attack, andfocus on remaining calm and breathing out as fully as you can.Your inhale will follow naturally. Also concentrate on breathingslowly. This is much easier to do if you practiced when you werenot having an attack. Try the following exercises when you are feeling well. If youare healthy they will improve your breathing technique. If yousuffer from they will help you exhale correctly during anasthma attack. 1. Hum as you exhale slowly, trying to prolong the breathwithout straining. Then repeat, but this time make a buzzingsound. Notice when the sound changes and when you becomebreathless. Stop breathing for a moment then breathe in gently.If you need to gasp for breath you are trying too hard. 2. Breathe in, purse your lips then breathe out in a series oflittle puffs. Work against the pressure of your lips and cheeks,contracting the abdomen not the chest as you blow. 3. Blow out an imaginary candle. Again your abdomen not yourchest should contract as you blow. Your attempts to blow out thecandle should be fairly quiet. You should be breathing innaturally at the end of the blow. Repeat as many times as iscomfortable but stop if you begin to feel breathless. We take over ten thousand breaths a day, drawing in about half aliter of air with each one. You can improve this essential actwith just a few simple exercises. Try the above and learn tobreathe properly. About the author:David Kane is the author of ‘101 Top Tips for Relief’,which gives more ways to control asthma. This and otherresources designed to help sufferers monitor and controltheir condition are available athttp://www.asthma-relieftips.com
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