"Breathe, just breathe !"

By Camilla Watson – Accredited ‘Heal Your Life’ Coach.      

        I know you’ve being doing it for quite a while, but just how effective is your breathing? If you have asthma, are getting the stitch during your workout, have problems with digestion, metabolism, depression  or anxiety then the chances are that you are not breathing very ‘well’. Take a moment – put one hand high on your chest at heart level, the other on the solar plexus area at the base of the rib cage, and close your eyes. Now just breathe normally. Which hand is moving in and out with the breath?
 
Our lungs are like a vase filling up with water. They should be filling at the bottom first as the air pours in, then filling up to the top. On the out breath the bottom hand should move in first as the air is expelled, then the top hand, in a circular wave-like motion. If your bottom hand is not moving at all then you are not taking in a full lung-full of air! We are not talking about deep breathing, just a normal breath that flows fully into the lungs. With your eyes closed try it for yourself now. If you breathe too deeply you may find yourself going dizzy as your body is not used to the increased oxygen so just try a couple at a time and just a normal strength of breath.
 
So how does our breathing affect all the health issues mentioned earlier? When we understand how our body is designed it all becomes clear.
 
Asthma is an issue of constriction due to a combination of genetics and an outside trigger (like pollen or food sensitivity) so if we are only breathing with a small portion of our lungs the constriction will have a much greater effect. It is estimated that 75% of asthma effects can be removed by teaching correct breathing and there are many people who have complete remission of all symptoms when breathing correctly. *
 
Stitch, metabolism and digestion problems. Beneath the lungs is a large flat muscle called the diaphragm which sits on top of the stomach. With each breath the diaphragm is pushed down to ‘squish’ the stomach and help with the digestion of the food. If the breathing is too shallow this muscle never gets worked and part of the digestion process is neglected. If you get the stitch in your workout focus on this area and breathe in and out very deeply and forcefully for a couple of breaths, pushing the tummy muscles out and in with your breathing. This will usually clear the spasm and pain.
 
Stress. Our bodies are designed to handle a great deal of stress, but not ongoing. Our reaction to a stressful situation is often called the ‘fight or flight reflex’. When you are faced with a saber-tooth tiger coming around the corner, or a car coming at you on the wrong side of the road, your body instantly puts all of its efforts into powering your muscles and brain for pure survival. Just run away or fight, and during this action most other processes in the body shut down – what is the point of digesting your food if you have been eaten? Your body can handle this over and over as long as it gets periods between to ‘relax’. The problem with our modern lifestyle is that many of us live in a situation of mild-stress constantly, either from current life conditions or issues from the past. This means that our body is permanently in a semi-state of ‘fight or flight’ and therefore the other processes of the body will also be semi shut down. Blood pressure and heart rate are affected and if the stomach cannot digest the food adequately, this may lead to many illnesses caused by poor nutrition, hormone imbalance, depression and anxiety.*  The underlying cause of the ongoing stress does need to be identified and cleared or skills taught to relieve it but in the meantime, Just Breathe!
 
(To reprogramme yourself to new breathing habits, try putting coloured sticky dots around your environment. Each time you see one you will remember to breathe correctly and over a couple of months the new pattern will lock in to your subconscious.)
 
* Personal counseling and training is recommended to get to the root cause of the issue. When taking medication consult with your health care professional when making major lifestyle changes as dosages may need to be adjusted.