Breathing is the most basic activity of the human being. We do it from birth and unconsciously, but nobody teaches us to do it. That is why most of us do it wrong , since we breathe in a shallow way and use only a third of the capacity of our lungs. But don't worry, because with a few simple exercises you will improve (a lot!) The way you breathe.
What is good breathing?
Sit down and think: do you usually take air through your mouth most of the time? First error. To breathe well you have to take the air through your nose , as this is where the air is filtered and heated. Something essential for it to reach the lungs correctly.
Now put one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Does your abdomen rise when you breathe? If not, your breathing is quite improvable. And it is that when your stomach inflates when you breathe it means that the diaphragm starts working , and therefore you are breathing efficiently. That is, the air is entering the lung uniformly with very little energy expenditure (since the rest of the muscles hardly intervene).
What are the benefits of breathing well?
Breathing delivers oxygen to our entire body, so its benefits are felt throughout your body . To begin with, breathing well favors the proper functioning of the digestive organs, the kidney and the heart . In addition, according to the Physiotherapy Area of SEPAR (Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery), by breathing well, your ability to concentrate is greater and your intellectual performance improves. And if that weren't enough, breathing well helps you reduce anxiety . You do not believe it? Try to breathe out from your lower abdomen. Relaxation is practically automatic!
Exercises to breathe well
The diaphragmatic breathing is most recommended and used as a basis in many relaxation techniques. In it, the main muscle is the diaphragm, while the rest of the muscles hardly intervene. With these exercises you will put it into practice:
- Heavy breathing Lie on your back with a pillow under your knees and a weight on your belly (this could be a book). Breathe in slowly through your nose and feel the air fill the highest part of your abdomen, while the chest area barely moves. Your stomach (the book) should rise well above your chest. Then let the air out slowly by pursing your lips.
- Go back to your childhood. You can realize the importance of exhalation by blowing soap bubbles. Purse your lips and practice exhaling. If you blow fast, the bubbles do not come out or they break right away. If you do it slowly, however, you get big bubbles that last whole longer.
- A simple straw. Take a straw and blow into it with pursed lips. In this way, you create a pressure in the mouth that prevents the airway from closing too soon. Besides that the abdominal concentration is higher. As SEPAR points out, this way you get your exhalations to be longer and improve, therefore, the efficiency of breathing.
Yoga and stretching
Aerobic sports such as swimming or running improve total lung capacity, that is, the capacity of our lungs to accommodate air. But it is yoga that can improve the breathing pattern. The reason? It is based on the optimal management of breathing, since it seeks a deeper, calmer and diaphragmatic breathing.
Remember to also include some stretching routine in your day to day, especially when we get up and go to bed. And even more so if you work in an office, where you spend many hours in the same position and with a hunched posture. It stretches especially the upper part of the body, it is what contributes to a greater lung filling. Remember to take deep breaths through your nose while you stretch.
