Breathe Your Way To Better Health

I want you to pay attention to the way you are breathing as you read this. Are you breathing through your mouth? Does your chest rise and fall as you breathe? We are intelligent enough to figure out that we need to breathe to live, but do you know the way you breathe can influence your health? It may seem silly to write about the importance of breathing but this automatic response is not only necessary for life, it is also used in holistic medicine to help us to connect the mind and body through awareness.

When we get stressed we breathe shallowly, when we're startled we gasp. No matter the emotion, we experience it one breath at a time. Have you ever watched a an infant sleeping? Its abdomen rises and falls effortlessly as it breaths through the nose. Our breathing patterns have been altered by stress. Our breathing patterns are direct reflections of our physical, mental and emotions states of mind. Shallow breathing is associated with the body's flight-or-fight response. Habitual chest breathing causes the body to think it is in a constant state of stress. Breathing from the diaphragm however, sends a message to our body that everything is A-OK.

Full and efficient breathing forces the stomach to rise as air fills the diaphragm ( area between stomach and lungs ) and then the lungs. Proper breathing decreases anxiety, depression, irritability, muscle tension and fatigue. Having good breathing habits will enhance overall health, providing increased energy, better brain function, increased circulation and better nervous system function. 

The key to improving your breathing is to first take notice how you breathe. Make a point of checking it throughout the day. Again, the abdomen should inflate first, then chest and deflate with each exhalation. It's also important to breathe through your nose because if you breathe through your mouth, your lungs receive cold, unfiltered air. 

I would like to share one of my favourite breathing exercises that I use daily:

Alternate Nostril Breathing

We rarely ever breath out of just one nostril at a time. By doing this Ayurvedic breathing technique, not only does it have all the benefits I wrote previously, but it actually works in opening up the energy channels of the body. As well, breathing in through the left nostril alone will access the "feeling" hemisphere of your brain, and breathing through the right side will access the "thinking" side. Consciously breathing through each nostril at a time will allow you to energize and activate your whole brain. Not to mention it is INCREDIBLY relaxing and helps to clear out any stuffy noses.

Step 1: Breathe out fully through the nose, emptying the diaphragm and chest

Step 2: Use your right thumb to close off your right nostril 

Step 3: Breathe in deeply through the left nostril, filling the diaphragm first, then chest, until it is felt right up in the base of your neck

Step 4: Pause for a second or two

Step 5: Now close left nostril with your ring finger and release your right nostril

Step 6: Breathe out completely out of your right nostril

Step 7: Now inhale deeply through right nostril

Step 8: Pause

Step 9: Use thumb to close right nostril and release left nostril

Step 10: Breathe completely out of left nostril

You have just completed one round of Alternate Nostril Breathing. As a beginner, start with one or two rounds and try working up to five. Once you are done, sit quietly for a few minutes and return your breathing to normal. 

Including this exercise into your daily routine will make you feel great! It is a wonderful stress reliever and can even be done before bed to help get a relaxing night's sleep. Remember to try to breathe in fresh air whenever you can and combining breath awareness with nature walks or meditation is a great way to practice and appreciate the breath of life!