BREATH - The Stuff of Life……..

Proper breathing is an important component of a healthy physical and mental life. In fact, breathing it is integral to life itself- indeed the stuff of life.

We breathe about twelve to eighteen breaths in a minute which comes to about 18,000 to 26,000 breaths every twenty-four hours. So you’d reckon that doing it that many times a day, then we all must have got it down to a fine art and must be doing it right. Far from it, though, as I have found through my own experience, testing and interacting with individuals and groups – both in a sporting context and in everyday life.

In my interactive workshops the very first subject I deal with is pointing out to people what their current breathing pattern is, and the beneficial effects they might feel through changing that pattern to a more controlled cycle of abdominal or belly breathing.

Take a look at the breathing pattern of babies. Their shoulders don’t go up and down when they breathe in – their belly fills and contracts through the cycle. Nobody taught them this – its an autonomic response. Somewhere along the line of life between infancy and where we are at now our reactions, responses and conditioning have changed that belly-breathing pattern into something different – something far less efficient – where we breathe in a more shallow pattern, taking in less oxygen (an essential fuel) per breath, using our shoulders almost to drive the pattern rather than controlling it through using the diaphragm.

Check it out for yourself……..Settle down in a quiet place for a moment or two. Put your hand, horizontally, about one inch above your navel. Close your eyes. Breathe normally without trying to influence your breathing one way or the other. Observe how your tummy moves every time you breathe in and breathe out. If you are breathing correctly, you should find that the hand over the tummy moves as you breathe in and out.

In stressful states we are prone to shallow breathing, a pattern which merely fills the top of the lungs. Abdominal breathing fills the lungs up from the bottom upwards. This results in a greater intake of oxygen, with obvious positive consequences. It is not just that oxygen is the brain’s main fuel either. The calming effect of filling the lungs thus and exhaling slowly is well documented. So, abdo breathing is very beneficial, and it is vital to practice the technique until it is second nature. You can start out by 1 minute at a time sequences. Place your hand on your navel and breathe in at the bottom of your lungs (for a count of 5), feeling your hand being pushed outwards on the inhale. Hold for a count of 3 then exhale for a count of 7 feeling your hand move inwards. This way you will get a 4-5 breaths per minute cycle. As you perform the cycle really concentrate on the process and nothing else. You will notice a calming effect and a feeling of detachment—all in addition to a fulfilling intake of oxygen. Do this as many times in the course of day as you can remember. Practice for 21 days so that the process becomes an installed and unconscious habit.

I urge you to delve further into the benefits of breathing correctly and put yourself on the right road – visit the website of world renowned breathing coach, Michael Grant White. Quite literally, everything you’ll ever need to know about breathing is there. Learn how addictions, allergies, anxiety, asthma, bad memory, cancer, chest pains, depression, fatigue, forget to breathe, holding breath a lot, low sex drive, overweight, panic attacks, phobias, poor voice quality, shortness of breath, trouble sleeping ALL may be caused or worsened by the way you breathe. FREE Download booklet click here

Optimal Breathing® at www.breathing.com

Make the change - start today!

Some other Breathing links and articles:

A Case Study - http://aboutbreathing.com/articles/breathinglessons.htm

Good Practice technique - http://www.mindpub.com/art011.htm

Some info on the diaphragm - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec04/ch038/ch038e.html

Peter Wright Hypnotherapy

Online and throughout South and West England