Breathing: You might not be doing it right.

But, i’ve been breathing my whole life, i must be doing it right!

This was my initial reaction when i started researching breathing and found that most of us aren’t breathing properly.

It is crazy to think that we aren’t breathing properly, surely if we aren’t breathing properly then there would be signs and symptoms? When we think, primarily we breathe so we can take oxygen in for our bodies to function. Getting more oxygen into our bodies can help improve our bodies response to living. Let’s bear in mind that the majority of us are living busy, hectic lives.

First how can we breathe properly?

You should be sat with a straight back, this allows your lungs to expand and take in as much oxygen as possible. So even at your work desk you can position yourself so you can improve your breathing and oxygen intake. A perfect time for this is whenever your are feeling slow, unproductive or you are feeling a little unmotivated.

We also should be exhaling fully every time we breathe. Most people only exhale between 65-75 % of the carbon dioxide in their lungs. By exhaling fully we are getting rid of more carbon dioxide thus you will feel more energetic and feel an improvement with your lung efficiency.

We should also ideally be inhaling through our nose and exhaling through our mouth. Inhaling through our nose it like a built in air filter, trapping toxins, dust, pollen etc. Nose breathing also calms our vagus nerve, our vagus nerve is part of our central nervous system. By calming this nerve you can minimise the feelings of anxiety and stress. Nasal breathing can help us take in 20% more oxygen which as we know will help the body function better.

How can we benefit by better breathing? We can benefit in a number of ways, such as:

Reduced feeling of stress and anxiety
Lowers blood pressure when feeling stressed or anxious
Higher levels of oxygen in the bloodstream can help with pain
Improves focus and clarity
Improves sleep

The easiest type of breathing to master is box breathing. The idea is that you are bing intentional with your breathing - Intentionally breathing in through your nose, holding that breathe then intentionally emptying your lungs through your mouth.

Box Breathing

1. Exhale out of your mouth to the count of 4

2. Hold your lungs empty to the count of 4

3. Inhale through your nose to the count of 4

4. Hold the fresh air in your lungs to the count of 4

5. Exhale and repeat