HOW TO BREATHE
Introduction: There are few problems that are not helped by taking a deep breath. We've known this for years. It is part of our public vernacular. It has special importance though for those older for such significant reasons. As we age we become more inactive. As we are more inactive our breathing shallows, limiting the amount of oxygen available to us. This affects health directly. Less oxygen > poorer health.
Shallow breathing is also prevalent during stressful times for everyone. As anxiety or fear increase, the muscles of the rib cage tighten, especially in front around the sternum. This tightness acts as a vise on the lungs themselves, preventing them from expanding as they would like to. The tightness also serves to keep toxins from being completely eliminated during the breath process, ensuring their presence in our systems longer.
Breathing is the key to health. From Dr. Andrew Weil: "If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe correctly." I remember a story of he sitting down with each new patient for 20 minutes to instruct them on how to breathe properly. He considers this to be paramount in overall health and has brought this approach and philosophy to western medicine through the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson. His lauded 4-7-8 Relaxing Breath exercise is described in detail below.
Shallow breathing is also prevalent during stressful times for everyone. As anxiety or fear increase, the muscles of the rib cage tighten, especially in front around the sternum. This tightness acts as a vise on the lungs themselves, preventing them from expanding as they would like to. The tightness also serves to keep toxins from being completely eliminated during the breath process, ensuring their presence in our systems longer.
Breathing is the key to health. From Dr. Andrew Weil: "If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe correctly." I remember a story of he sitting down with each new patient for 20 minutes to instruct them on how to breathe properly. He considers this to be paramount in overall health and has brought this approach and philosophy to western medicine through the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson. His lauded 4-7-8 Relaxing Breath exercise is described in detail below.
What does improved breathing do?
- Reduces anxiety: One of the best ways to reduce anxiety is to practice breathing exercises. The tension will melt so quickly it is often astounding. Anxiety thrives in a weak oxygen environment.
- Reduces pain: Pain causes tension, including tension in the chest, shallowing the breath. Improved breathing releases that tension. No matter where in the body it is, pain greatly dissipates as a result.
- Lowers heart rate, reduces blood pressure, improves immunity: Slow deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system which in turn lowers the heart rate and reduces overall blood pressure.
- Lowers the level of inflammation in the body: Yogic breathing techniques have been shown to lower stress related inflammation in the body (and in the mind).
- Reduces blockages to health, especially in the joints and especially with visualization: Tension in the joints is responsible for the exacerbation of many chronic symptoms like those of arthritis. Using visualization and the breath, circulation through injured or deteriorating areas can be improved with all the consequent benefits of reduced pain and inflammation.
- Supplies more oxygen to all the cells of the body: The more the better. This is one reason why circulation is so important. With improved circulation ultimately comes improved oxygen absorption and improved health.
- Improves mental focus: One reason focus improves is because of the release of the tension associated with anxiety. Anxiety causes mental distraction. It can often be characterized by an inability to concentrate. Deep breathing reverses this process.
- Gives you energy: Stopping to take a deep breath is always a good idea. It helps with everything including endurance.
- Assists with improving agility: Stretches performed without breathing deeply are far less effective and cause more injury. Breath and stretch go hand in hand.
- Improves sleep: A reduction in tension makes it far easier on the body to get a good night's sleep.
- Puts you in a better position to face challenges and make better decisions: One of the most important benefits. Decisions made in fear almost always fail. Challenges met while relaxed get a far better result. (One reason why: when we are relaxed our stance is more grounded with weight lower in the body. When we are anxious, our center of gravity lifts to the chest area making it much more likely that we lose our balance and fall. When challenged, lower center of gravity ensures far greater success.)
- Improved breathing makes your body less toxic: Another way to think of it: Shallow breathing doesn't do well removing toxins. This is an extraordinarily important reason for doing these exercises. If we concentrate in life on getting toxins processed as quickly as possible through our body so we have less exposure to them then we will live a much happier, healthier life. Nothing is more effective in that regard than improving breathing.
Some fundamentals:
What is actually happening when you breathe: As human beings we can go without food for 30-40 days. We can go without water for 3-4 days. We can go without oxygen for 3-6 minutes. Since breathing is so essential, improvements make significant differences and quickly. When we breathe we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Oxygen gets delivered as sustenance to all the cells of the body. A waste product, carbon dioxide, gets gathered and released from the body. We breathe in the most precious of nutrients and exhale material that is toxic to our body. Any process that improves how much oxygen you get or improves how much carbon dioxide you get rid of is good for our health.
Before Beginning: Before you begin breathing exercises, exhale completely, emptying your lungs as much as possible. Unless stately otherwise, breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. As you breathe think of breathing in the most precious of nutrients and exhaling the body's toxins completely.
Body Position: While practicing, sit in a comfortable position for your lower back. Some sit on a pillow on the floor (zafu) to bring the back upright effortlessly. If you are sitting in a chair, choose a sturdy one. Sit with both feet flat on the ground, hip distance apart, knees over ankles. Sit with your waist forward so your lower back is straight. You can also practice sitting forward in your chair, legs wider apart, knees over ankles, elbows on knees supporting your spine in a straight but tilted position, head in line with the spine. In this position concentrate on lengthening the spine as you exhale. You can practice lying down in bed or on the floor. I would not suggest practicing standing till you are used to how it makes you feel because you can hyperventilate doing these exercises and that could cause a fall.
The Best Breathing Exercises: Practicing any of these exercises consistently brings huge benefits. You can tailor which to use based upon how you feel or you can choose the best technique for your circumstances. You can also combine the visualizations with the breathing techniques. For example, you can practice the 4-7-8 breath while you imagine sitting on the beach in Hawaii.
- The Anxiety Breath (5-5-7): Breathe in for a count of 5, hold for a count of 5, exhale slowly for a count of 7. Incredibly effective for reducing anxiety immediately.
- The Relaxing Breath (4-7-8): Developed by Dr. Andrew Weil. Detailed instructions are below for this wonderful exercise.
- The Cooling Breath: Also known as the Curled Tongue Breath. Curl your tongue lengthwise for your inhalations. Exhale completely through a gently opened mouth. Purse your lips slightly as you inhale across your curled tongue. Relax your tongue as you exhale. This breath has the immediate benefit of expanding lung volume effortlessly.
- Nostril Breathing: Use your thumb and index finger to close the nostrils off, one at a time. Exhale completely, close off the right, inhale through the left, close off the left, exhale through the right, inhale through the right, close off the right, exhale the left, inhale the left, close the left, etc. Continue breathing like this for up to 5 minutes. Finish with an exhale on the left side. This breath lowers stress and improves cardiovascular function, lung function, respiratory endurance, lowers heart rate and promotes well being.
- Breath Counting: Deceptively simple, this technique is the basis for structured meditation including the practice of Zen Buddhism. Count your exhales to a particular number (4 in basic practice, 10 for Zen meditation) and then start all over again. If your mind wanders return to your count. If you forget where you are, start again at 1. The point here is to occupy your mind with the simplest experience so that all the flash and riff raff the mind creates can be exposed and released.
- Diaphragmatic Breathing: Lie on your back with your knees bent. Place one hand on your upper chest and the other on your belly just below your rib cage. Breathe in slowly letting the air inflate your abdomen. The hand on your chest should stay still, the one on your abdomen should rise and fall. Tighten your abdominal muscles and let them fall inward as you exhale through pursed lips. Beneficial for everyone, this style of breathing slows the heartbeat and lowers blood pressure and encourages a larger amount of oxygen exchanged. It is particularly helpful for those with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
- Yogic Breathing: There are whole schools of yoga that are dedicated to breathing. This is an intense subject about which much is available through books and the Internet. Suffice to say that much attention is placed on the breath in many oriental philosophies and we can learn a great deal about it through the study of yoga, Tai Chi, Chi Gong or structured meditation.
Notes:
- Elongate the exhalation: This is always a good idea, regardless.
- You can practice the hold after the inhale or after the exhale. Different things happen with each. When the hold is after the inhale, the progression amazingly reduces anxiety. When the hold is after the exhale, we get to experience life without the breath which is quite liberating. We get to experience the body empty of breath.
- An extra push at the end of the exhale removes any toxic carbon dioxide remaining in the lungs. This is especially important to pay attention to if your breathing is shallow. When we breath shallowly, stale air never really leaves the lungs. Exhaling a little extra at the end of the breath helps. This leaves room in the lungs themselves for more oxygen intake.
- Be wary of hyperventilating while practicing deep breathing. Practice sitting down. Plan on sitting for a while after the exercises to make sure you are not feeling lightheaded.
- If you have difficulty breathing you may find that it helps to lie on your belly instead of on your back because the majority of the airways of the lungs are in the back of the lungs.
Helpful visualizations: There are many, many visualizations that are used when practicing deep breathing. This is a small sample:
- Imagine that the universe is breathing your body instead of you having to effort to inhale and exhale. This is an excellent image to use before sleep.
- Inhale white light. Exhale toxins.
- Breathe in through the ground. As the air rises allow it to collect all the toxins throughout the body. Exhale the toxins out through your feet and root.
The 4-7-8 Relaxing Breath
developed by Dr. Andrew Weil (in his own words):
"Sit with your back straight while learning the exercise. Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there through the entire exercise. You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward.
Note that you always inhale quietly through your nose and exhale audibly through your mouth. The tip of your tongue stays in position the whole time. Exhalation takes twice as long as inhalation. The absolute time you spend on each phase is not important; the ratio of 4:7:8 is important. If you have trouble holding your breath, speed the exercise up but keep to the ratio of 4:7:8 for the three phases. With practice you can slow it all down and get used to inhaling and exhaling more and more deeply.
This exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. Unlike tranquilizing drugs, which are often effective when you first take them but then lose their power over time, this exercise is subtle when you first try it but gains in power with repetition and practice. Do it at least twice a day. You cannot do it too frequently. Do not do more than four breaths at one time for the first month of practice. Later, if you wish, you can extend it to eight breaths. If you feel a little lightheaded when you first breathe this way, do not be concerned; it will pass.
Once you develop this technique by practicing it every day, it will be a very useful tool that you will always have with you. Use it whenever anything upsetting happens - before you react. Use it whenever you are aware of internal tension. Use it to help you fall asleep. This exercise cannot be recommended too highly. Everyone can benefit from it."
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound
- Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of 4.
- Hold your breath for a count of 7.
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of 8.
- This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.
Note that you always inhale quietly through your nose and exhale audibly through your mouth. The tip of your tongue stays in position the whole time. Exhalation takes twice as long as inhalation. The absolute time you spend on each phase is not important; the ratio of 4:7:8 is important. If you have trouble holding your breath, speed the exercise up but keep to the ratio of 4:7:8 for the three phases. With practice you can slow it all down and get used to inhaling and exhaling more and more deeply.
This exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. Unlike tranquilizing drugs, which are often effective when you first take them but then lose their power over time, this exercise is subtle when you first try it but gains in power with repetition and practice. Do it at least twice a day. You cannot do it too frequently. Do not do more than four breaths at one time for the first month of practice. Later, if you wish, you can extend it to eight breaths. If you feel a little lightheaded when you first breathe this way, do not be concerned; it will pass.
Once you develop this technique by practicing it every day, it will be a very useful tool that you will always have with you. Use it whenever anything upsetting happens - before you react. Use it whenever you are aware of internal tension. Use it to help you fall asleep. This exercise cannot be recommended too highly. Everyone can benefit from it."
A special note for those with asthma: Breathing is compromised when you have asthma and exercises to deepen the breath as explained here are not necessarily available to you. The difficulty that asthma causes with the breath also increases panic, a double whammy since breathing exercise is a very important technique for dealing with panic. Both links below address these issues. It is not difficult to get the benefits of improved breathing using other means.
Published November 6, 2020