The human body is composed of trillions of cells and each one of them requires a steady flow of oxygen to function properly and survive.  In fact, oxygen is so important to our health that we’ll die if we go more than a few minutes without it! Based on this, even a slight inefficiency in your breathing can have a significant impact on your health.

Despite the fact that we can breathe without having to think about it, many people breathe inefficiently and don’t get the full amount of oxygen they need for optimal cell function. The best way to understand this concept is by looking at a baby breathe, you’ll notice that with each breath their belly actually expands, rises and falls. This is the natural rhythm of breath.

Although we’ve evolved to breathe primarily through diaphragmatic contraction, many of the factors associated with modern life, such as stress, poor posture, and poor diet, interfere with proper diaphragm function and promote breathing through chest expansion instead.

Benefits of proper breathing

Proper breathing has proven to balance out your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. This allows the body to function more optimally by reducing adrenaline and cortisol (stress hormones). Other benefits of proper breath work include:

[list]
[li type=”glyphicon-ok”]Lowered blood pressure[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-ok”]An increased release of serotonin, a feel good hormone that also reduces cravings for sugary foods[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-ok”]Helps to eliminates free radicals and improves cellular function[/li][li type=”glyphicon-ok”]Improves sleep quality[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-ok”]Increases blood flow to the prefrontal cortex of the brain to improve mental focus and clarity [/li][/list]

Since respiration is an automatic physical response it can take a little bit of effort to change, mostly in the form of mindfulness. You can begin with this simple exercise:

1.  Schedule a few minutes of quiet into your day, this can be in the morning before you wake up or as a calming ritual before going to bed.
2. Begin by becoming aware of your breath, just notice your own personal rhythm.
3. Next take a mental scan of your body and try to release any physical tension.
4. Start to breathe a bit deeper and visualize drawing your breathe into your belly, you should see/feel it rise and fall.
5. Practice this deep breathing for several minutes.

The more often you practice diaphragmatic breathing the more automatic it will become and soon you will be able to utilize it throughout your daily life and in exercise. Because of the importance of oxygen and the prevalence of insufficient breathing, it’s important to understand and reinforce proper breathing technique.