Proper Nose and Belly Breathing
Take a (deep) breather for optimal health
For thousands of years, yogis have practiced and perfected deep breathing techniques in order to achieve a tranquil state of being. These exercises have long been known to relieve stress and fatigue, and they have a remarkable impact on preventing illnesses.
As we all know, breathing is essential to life but for people who are actually not breathing deeply enough their bodies are stressed in a myriad of ways. Medical science has proven that breathing quantity and quality largely controls how well you live today and how long you will live.
Studies have shown that when cells in the body lack a sufficient oxygen supply, it leads to major health problems including heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Shallow breathing, something all of us are doing too frequently, does not draw in enough oxygen nor does it allow the body to fully expel carbon dioxide. As a result, toxins build up, cells are oxygen-starved, and vitality is sapped. To overcome this deficit, the practice of deep breathing rejuvenates your body by saturating the blood with extra oxygen and helping the lymphatic system carry away toxins.
Proper nose and belly breathing
The first rule when doing deep breathing exercises is to breathe through your nose. The nose prevents cold air, dust and pathogens from being breathed in, so it’s important to try and learn to breathe through the nose and not the mouth. A second point to consider is that shallow breathing is strong indication of chest breathing, another bad habit. Ideally, for better health you want to breathe through your nose and with the belly.
Take this quick test to see if you are a chest or belly breather: put your left hand on your chest and your right hand on your stomach. Take a breath and notice what happens. If your left hand rises first, you probably tend to be a chest breather.
Proper belly breathing will expand the abdominal cavity allowing the lungs to fill from the bottom up instead of the top down, as you do when chest breathing. The following breathing exercise can help you improve the quality of your respiration.
• Close your mouth and inhale slowly and deeply through your nose, extending your stomach as your lungs fill.
• Pause for 5 seconds, then exhale slowly through the mouth, allowing your stomach to return to its original position.
• Pause again, and take another slow full breath.
• Each time you breathe out, feel the tension leave your body. Repeat the cycle 5 to 10 times.
Yoga, tai chi and qi gong are excellent practices to learn deep breathing exercises but they take years to master. You can and should practice simple deep breathing on your own at any time during the day since (naturally) you have to breathe anyway. When you’re sitting in traffic, or just making dinner, take a few deep breaths and focus on the mechanics of breathing through your nose and using the belly.