Although everyone breathes, most of us have some poor breathing habits, whether it is only breathing in the upper lungs or always breathing through the mouth. Learning to breathe properly may have positive effects on you physically and psychologically. To increase your lung capacity, try cardio exercises such as running or cycling and maintain proper posture. You can learn breathing exercises at your local yoga classes.
Function
By using the mouth, nose, trachea, lungs, and diaphragm, breathing provides the blood with oxygen. The act of breathing is a complex process involving both the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, meaning that it is both an involuntary and voluntary action. Through breathing exercises, physical fitness, proper posture and healthy lifestyle choices, you can improve your breathing habits and increase your lung capacity.
Physical Effects
Learning to breathe more efficiently may have dramatic effects on the body. Registered nutritional consulting practitioner and author Simone Gabbay emphasizes that proper breathing promotes proper circulation, thereby reducing cold feet and hands. Also, breathing better means more oxygen to cells and easier detoxification. The Mayo Clinic lists deep breathing as a lifestyle change that you can use to help to lower high blood pressure or hypertension.
Psychological Effects
Taking a deep breath is one of the first tools humans use to calm their nervous system when under stress or when dealing with a fight-or-flight situation. Breathing evenly and deeply on a regular basis may positively affect your overall stress levels. Simone Gabbay says that proper breathing also improves concentration and mental clarity.
During Exercise
Proper breathing varies for different sports and activities. For example, students typically breathe in and out through the nose in yoga classes. Runners and other cardio athletes learn to breathe through the mouth and nose to gain as much oxygen as possible. In all physical activities, breath should move through most of the torso, with the help of the diaphragm and abdominals. Athletes with proper breathing techniques often have more focus, endurance and fewer injuries.
Technique
One of the simpler ways to improve your breathing habits is to lie on the floor in a supine position. Breathing in this position requires less effort from the lungs and diaphragm, thereby allowing you to work on correcting your habits with more ease. Place one hand over your belly button. Work on feeling your hand rise up when you inhale and lower toward the floor when you exhale. Learning to breathe this way diminishes the tendency to do shallow breathing in the upper chest. Once you feel comfortable with this technique, work on feeling your breath move up and down like a wave, in three parts--lower abdominals, mid-chest and upper chest. Your breath will most likely become slower. Take a break from breathing exercises if you feel lightheaded, dizzy or anxious.
