Bizarre as it might seem, breathing is something most people do poorly, Dennis Lewis writes in "Free Your Breath, Free Your Life." Improving the way you breathe may be the most basic way to tackle stress and boost your immune system. Proponents claim anyone can breathe properly by developing deep breathing techniques. Nonetheless, there are dangers involved, and novices should approach practice with caution.
History
References to deep breathing have been found in Hindu Sanskrit texts from as early as the fifth century. However, the fact that it is such a vital component in Eastern meditation systems, such as Taoist qi gong, tai chi and pranayama yoga, suggests that the use of deep breathing in the pursuit of health and enlightenment is probably much older.
Function
Deep breathing is called "diaphragmatic" because it emphasizes the use of the diaphragm, the muscular sheet underlying your rib cage. When the diaphragm contracts, it pushes down on the internal organs of your abdomen, enlarging the space allotted to your thoracic cavity and causing your lungs to expand. The stronger this contraction, the more air you'll inhale. Diaphragmatic breathing for therapeutic purposes aims to do this in a slow, controlled, relaxed manner, and is often contrasted with what Doug Keller, in his book "Refining the Breath," calls "clavicular breathing" --- which is usually faster and primarily uses the muscles of the chest and rib cage to make space for the lungs' expansion.
Effects
The slower, more complete filling and emptying of the lungs, Keller explains, allows you to thoroughly oxygenate your blood and eliminate carbon dioxide, without doing either to excess. It also stretches out the fascia of the abdomen and develops superior control over the diaphragm, making deep breathing easier to maintain for longer periods of time.
Beneftis
Improved oxygenation of our blood, Lewis writes, allows us to "pump the disease-fighting lymph through our lymphatic system and return venous blood to our lungs and heart, promote the health of our internal organs" and "turn on our stress-busting parasympathetic nervous system." Keller emphasizes that deep breathing should be used to dissolve the mental and physical tensions that restrict normal breathing, but that the ultimate goal is to breath naturally and normally, without conscious restriction. If you're prone to panic attacks, slowing breathing reduces the pace at which carbon dioxide leaves your body. Carbon dioxide is crucial for hemoglobin to move oxygen from your lungs to your cells, and its rapid expulsion brings on the feeling of suffocation associated with hyperventilation.
Warning
Lewis describes how some proponents of diaphragmatic breathing advise placing one hand on the chest and the other on the abdomen to monitor movement while breathing and ensure that it occurs in the abdomen only. This, he argues, prevents the full expression of breathing and can lead to the same tensions deep breathing is often employed to address. He advises combining a small, unforced amount of clavicular breathing with diaphragmatic breathing for more dynamic, deep respiration,
References
- "Free Your Breath, Free Your Life"; Dennis Lewis; 2004
- "The Concise Yoga Vasistha"; Swami Venkatesananda; 1984
- "Refining the Breath"; Doug Keller; 2004
