3 Reasons why you shouldn’t take your breath for granted
You're conscious of it only when you need to hold it. Or when you're running out of it.
Breath.
You take it for granted. But let me give you 3 good reasons why you shouldn't.
1. Your breath affects how you're feeling (emotionally)
You can literally breathe yourself to stress. If you've never paid attention to your breath before, chances are that's what you're doing most of the time.
What kind of breath makes you stressed?
through your mouth
to your upper chest, engaging your neck muscles as you do it
fast-paced, with big inhales and sharp, short exhales
To reverse this effect, breathe through your nose and use your diaphragm. Let the inhales and exhales be more even and the breathing pace slower.
2. Diaphragmatic breath helps release tension and prevent pain in many body parts.
Painful periods.
Constipation.
Acid reflux
Lower back pain.
Neck pain.
What do they have in common?
Dysfunctional breathing patterns and chronic tension in your diaphragm.
The diaphragm is the dome-shaped muscle dividing you horizontally into half. It is your main breathing muscle. The difference in pressure between the abdominal and chest ''chambers'' caused by the diaphragm's movement is enough to make you breathe. That pressure difference is also a main pump for your lymphatic system.
But chronic tension patterns can mess up this breathing mechanism and the entire internal pressure system.
DIGESTIVE ISSUES
Diaphragmatic breathing is essential to give space to and massage abdominal organs as they move contents through your digestive tract. If your belly can’t expand, that pressure will be placed on the stomach, resulting in acid reflux. Rather than on your colon, where it’d push the digested food out.
PAIN
The breathing diaphragm has a direct effect on the pelvic floor. Diaphragmatic breathing is often enough to prevent the painful periods caused by extra tension in the entire pelvis (not just uterus).
Your diaphragm is deeply intertwined via fascia with your lower back, abdomen, and pelvis. If the diaphragm gets restricted, it restricts all the rest. And if you start breathing with your shoulders and neck more than your diaphragm, don’t be surprised they’ll be sore from overworking.
3. Your breath rate and your heart variability (they're linked) affect your overall health
The fewer breaths you take per minute, the higher your heart rate variability. It means the gap between heartbeats changes. It's a good thing! You want your heart to respond to what's going on around you. It should beat faster when necessary but slow down when you don't need that extra energy. The higher rate variability makes you more resilient.
And that means:
better cardiovascular fitness ( that reduces your chances of heart disease)
improved cognitive functions (your brain works more efficiently)
resilience to stress ( also decreased anxiety AND depression)
Slower heartbeats turn on the rest and restore the mode of your nervous system. And what makes your heart beat slower? You guessed it! Slower breaths.
If you can reach 8-12 breaths a minute in your daily life (of course not when you exercise), you'll be not just calmer, but also healthier.
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Now you know just HOW crucial breathing is for your physical and mental health, maybe you will start paying more attention to it?
Here are a few recommendations where to start. And an important question for you.
You can look at the Breathwork playlist on my YouTube channel for a little sample of my approach to breath and breathing.
Check out the Breathe Well Masterclass for all you need to do to improve your breathing habits NOW.