According to breathing.com, optimal breathing will increase the vitality and energy of your life. Breathing happens within the lungs, which provide a place for blood to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. How we breathe can affect how well this exchange takes place, which affects how we feel, physically and emotionally.
Identification
Breathing is the only bodily function that we can do voluntarily and involuntarily; that means it is possible to train our bodies to breathe in a healthy manner, even when we're not thinking about it. The characteristics of proper breathing include volume, efficiency, strength, balance and flexibility. According to breathing.com, optimal breathing is possible for everyone.
Benefits
Dr. Weil, author and a physician of integrated medicine, notes that mindful breathing can decrease stress by calming and energizing the body. When illness affects the body, optimal breathing might be the first place to look to begin healing, since oxygen is necessary for the performance of all bodily functions. According to an article at breathing.com, proper breathing is behind the production of respiratory neuropeptides and endorphins. It affects relaxation, digestion, eyesight, mental clarity, emotional status, speaking, blood oxygen saturation and alkalinity, as well as the ability to heal from disease and fatigue.
Testing
Place your left hand on your chest and your right hand on your abdomen. Which one rises when you breathe? If your left hand rises but not your right, you're breathing in the shallow, upper area of the lungs. If your right hand rises more than your left hand, you're breathing through the chest all the way to the abdomen (diaphragmatic breathing)--this is where optimal breathing takes place. Being aware of how you normally breathe is the first step to healthy breathing.
Abdominal Breathing
Optimal breathing happens in the lower lungs, the abdominal area. The lower lung area has a larger surface area of tissue containing alveoli, which is the area in which gas exchange takes place. The largest amount of blood flow is happening in the lower lungs. To breathe from the abdomen, stand up or sit up straight. If done diligently, abdominal breathing is one type of breathing exercise that can train you body for optimal breathing involuntarily.
Method
According to the American Medical Student Association, inhale through your nose, hold for a count of seven, then exhale through your mouth to a count of eight. Exhalation should be longer than inhalation. Again put your left hand on your chest and your right hand on your abdomen to check to be sure that your hand on your abdomen rises higher, which means that you're taking in air to the base of the lungs.
