There is a “right” way to breathe.
The big picture from the Symmetry newsletter - LV’s Midweek Memo:
Proper breathing mechanics do more for you than help you “breathe better”.
So What?
🧘Stay calm more often: breathing nasally, lower, and slower helps to keep you in a more relaxed and focused state.
💪Help your body work more efficiently: better breathing = better Oxygen transfer to your brain and tissues = less hard work for your body overall
🙌This all equates to less fatigue, less stress, and less illness or chance of chronic disease.
Keep reading to dig deeper! (A ~1 ½ minute read.)
We talk a lot about “everyday breathing” at Symmetry.
Why should you care?
Helps you to not be so reactive. Are you tired at snapping at people you love? Cutting people off in traffic or laying on your horn out of frustration? Giving someone the finger (and, if you’re in Memphis, hoping they don’t pull a gun on you)?
Increases your overall health and longevity. Your body and all its amazing systems don’t have to work as hard if you’re breathing properly!! It’s science.
Sleep better. Fall and stay asleep more easily. (And fall back asleep faster if you do wake up!) Let alone the fact that you’ll be less prone to things like obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes, inflammation, weight gain and more. Seriously. It matters.
Increased athletic performance. Breathe better = perform better. Better tolerance to the feeling of carbon dioxide rising in your system will allow you to use the oxygen you’re taking in more efficiently, which will increase your endurance, stamina, ability to recover, and more.
What is it?
Nasal Breathing:
Filters, warms and humidifies the air (preps the air for your lungs to use optimally)
Creates resistance vs. mouth breathing resulting in greater blood oxygen uptake
Able to take advantage of nitric oxide (produced in the sinuses), which helps the immune system and blood flow among other things
Contributes to proper jaw formation and face shape. Check out this book.
Lower (diaphragmatic) Breathing:
The diaphragm is your main breathing muscle. The “belly breath” you’ve probably heard of is a result of using it correctly.
Allow the ribs to expand laterally - we’re looking for 360* expansion - all the way around.
The biggest part of your lungs (and where you get the most blood-gas transfer) is the lower back portion. Using the diaphragm helps to get the air down where it needs to go.
Slower Breathing:
Breathing nasally and lower allows you to also breathe slower, which keep us in a more calm, parasympathetic state.
If you’re breathing into the chest, often you are stressed and also breathing faster, contributing to tightness in the neck and shoulders.
Helps to create awareness and gives you time to choose your response instead of going with your knee-jerk reaction.
