Breath Work

October 25, 2023 Paige Hubert

Breath Work

Sometimes we just need to take a deep breath for a moment when life becomes too stressful or chaotic or overwhelming. But have you ever noticed how you take that deep breath?

Here at Recharged PT, we’ve talked a lot before about the importance of appropriate core engagement for pelvic health. This includes learning how to breathe properly. So today we are going back to the basics to learn how to breathe.

When we are babies, we naturally belly breathe using a big muscle called the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a double-domed musculotendinous sheet that separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity. It attaches at the lower ribs, upper lumbar vertebrae and lowest part of your sternum. Our diaphragms are responsible for 80% of our breathing – if recruited correctly. When we take a deep breath in, the diaphragm contracts concentrically and lowers towards the abdominal cavity (aka it goes down toward your toes). When we exhale it contracts eccentrically (lengthening) and ascends towards the thoracic cavity and lungs.

However, as we age, we have a tendency to become more chest breathers than belly breathers.

Over time, shallow breathing has become more instinctive because of changes in posture (e.g., sitting slumped forward at a desk for long periods of time), anxiety, and environmental stressors (e.g., pollution). This means that the diaphragm is minimally used in favor of our chest muscles (like our pecs) and the intercostals, the muscles that run between the ribs to expand and close the rib cage. With chest (or shallow) breathing, very little air is carried into our lungs and the body does not get as much oxygen as it should. This leaves our bodies in a perpetual cycle of stress from which it is difficult to extract ourselves.

We’ve talked before about how a little bit of stress is natural–and even beneficial–for the body. But too much stress can have long-term consequences for our health.

For example, shallow breathing have even been linked to:

Panic and anxiety disorders
Difficulties with digestion and weight gain
Muscles aches and joint pain
Trouble sleeping
High blood pressure and congestive heart failure
Decline in long-term cognition and memory

In contrast, diaphragmatic breathing can help the body to:

Improve lung capacity and blood oxygen levels
Activate the parasympathetic nervous system (“rest and digest) and deactivate the sympathetic nervous system (“fight or flight”)
Lower blood pressure and improve sleep
Cope with stress and anxiety

There are two ways to learn how to begin using diaphragmatic breathing.

One way is to lie on your stomach (if tolerable) and practice inhaling and exhaling with your abdomen, using the surface beneath you as feedback.

The other way is to lie on your back with your knees bent. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach (just below your rib cage). Breathe in slowly through your nose with a focus on that air filling your lower belly: the hand on your stomach should rise. Contract your abdominal muscles and let them fall inward as you exhale through pursed lips (though some people prefer to exhale through their nose). The hand on your belly should descend. The entire time, the hand at your chest should not move. Repeat this 5-15 times at a slow rate of breathing. If your belly starts to shake, it may mean that your diaphragm has fatigued. Count the number of repetitions and slowly to start to increase them over time. It is generally easier to begin diaphragmatic breathing laying on your back or laying on your stomach because this eliminates having to hold your body up against gravity. You can eventually progress to other positions such as side lying, sitting, kneeling and standing.

Even though it may seem like a simple exercise, it will take some time to build up the habit to the point you belly breathe more than you shallow breathe.

But learning how to breathe again is an integral part of overall physical, mental and emotional health!

<3 The Recharged Performance Therapy Team

References

https://www.physio-pedia.com/Diaphragmatic_Breathing_Exercises

https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTHLIBRARY/tools/diaphragmatic-breathing.asp

https://teachmeanatomy.info/thorax/muscles/diaphragm/

https://www.headspace.com/articles/shallow-breathing-whole-body

Breath Work

Here at Recharged PT, we’ve talked *a lot* before about the importance of appropriate core engagement for pelvic health. This includes learning how to breathe properly. So today we are going back to the basics to learn how to breathe.

However, as we age, we have a tendency to become more chest breathers than belly breathers.

We’ve talked before about how a little bit of stress is natural–and even beneficial–for the body. But too much stress can have long-term consequences for our health.

In contrast, diaphragmatic breathing can help the body to:

There are two ways to learn how to begin using diaphragmatic breathing.

Even though it may seem like a simple exercise, it will take some time to build up the habit to the point you belly breathe more than you shallow breathe.

But learning how to breathe again is an integral part of overall physical, mental and emotional health!

Here at Recharged PT, we’ve talked a lot before about the importance of appropriate core engagement for pelvic health. This includes learning how to breathe properly. So today we are going back to the basics to learn how to breathe.