Breathing


Return Home	About Suzanne	What I Offer	Fees	What Others Say About Me	Upcoming Events	Learning resources	Contact Suzanne	Join Mailing List

BREATHING*


	The Central Breathing Problem The Central Breathing Problem is made up of three specific errors that the majority of people make in their breathing. In a nutshell, here’s what causes most of the problems with breathing: Breathing too shallow Breathing too fast Breathing “upside-down” The solution is to breathe slower, deeper, and “right-side-up.” The best way to understand healthy breathing is to observe a healthy baby breathe. When it breathes in, its belly rises and rounds. The baby’s belly muscles stay relaxed, so that the breath can get deep down into the bottom of the lungs. When you see an unhealthy adult breathe, the exact opposite occurs (which is why it is called “upside-down” breathing). Most adults hold their belly muscles too tight and expand their chest. Such abdominal tension keeps the lungs from filling completely no matter how much the chest expands. When we breathe too fast and too shallow and “upside-down” we blow off more carbon dioxide than we should which leads to a chemical imbalance. When we continually breathe this way we start to feel: A little tired all the time, even when you first wake up A little anxious, even though you may not be able to point to anything scary in your environment Like you never quite get a full breath Like you are in a mental fog The Healthy Deep Breath The In-Breath Begin by relaxing the belly muscles. This allows the diaphragm to flatten and draw in the air. Your abdomen expands first, rounding out like a Buddha, before your chest moves, which allows air to fill the lower part of your lungs. Then the in-breath expands the chest muscles which causes the rib cage to widen in three dimensions: front, side, and back. Your rib cage also moves upward slightly as the air fills the middle part of your lungs. Finally at the peak of the in-breath your collarbones move upward and your shoulders relax and move back slightly. Air then fills the upper part of your lungs. Try to imagine the air filling your lungs from bottom to top like water filling a vase. The Out-Breath At the beginning of the out-breath, your collarbones drop and your shoulders move slightly forward. Then the chest muscles relax and the rib cage moves downward and narrows in three dimensions. Finally the abdomen flattens and the belly muscles contract slightly to push the last of the breath out. Breathing Practice You’re going to learn a gentle breathing activity that’s designed to help you feel more relaxed, alert , and clear. If you do it gently and correctly, after a minute or two you’ll feel much clearer in your mind and at ease in your body. It’s easy to learn—the only thing you have to remember is to do it comfortably with no strain or stressful effort. This breathing practice re-balances the oxygen chemistry in your body. After you breathe out pause with all the air out of your body until you really feel the need to breathe in again. This is not a contest, so don’t strain in any way. As you practice, you’ll probably notice that you can go longer and longer without needing to breathe in. When your oxygen is perfectly balanced with the carbon dioxide in your body, you can go for a minute or so without needing to breathe in. In the early stages of practice you may only be able to go for a few seconds without needing to breathe in. Above all don’t strain or try to hard. This activity is always done in the comfort zone. You’ll know when your oxygen-carbon dioxide balance point is reached because you’ll feel a sense of harmony and well-being. Until you feel that sensation, just practice in a gentle, comfortable way. Before you begin your practice, scan your body and notice if you feel tired or mentally foggy or any anxiety. After a minute or so, scan your body again and notice any changes in your body and mind. On your next out-breath, breathe all the way out, then pause and relax until your body gives you a clear signal that it needs to breathe. It doesn’t matter if you pause two seconds or 20 seconds before you breathe in. Just pause and relax until you get a clear signal that it’s time to breathe in. Then take a full in-breath, as much as is comfortable. Then breathe all your breath out again and wait until you get a signal to breathe in. Do a few cycles now, then pause after about a minute. As you rest, scan your body again. Notice if there is any change in sensations such as fatigue, nervousness, or lack of mental clarity. Some people feel positive shifts right away, while others take more practice before they notice changes. Next time you breathe out, keep on breathing out until all the air is gone, then pause and relax before you let any back in. It’s not important whether you wait a second or 30 seconds…just relax until you get a clear signal that your body needs to breathe. You may feel a few little false signals that you need to breathe in, but wait until your body spontaneously says “time to breathe.” Be assured that it will. Then let an in-breath come all the way in and then breathe all the way out again. After you’ve breathed out, pause and relax until you get a clear signal that your body needs the next breath. Then breathe in—as much as you like—then breathe it all out, pause, and relax. Practice for a couple of minutes now, remembering to keep it easy and comfortable. Then take your mind off your breathing for a moment and just rest. Scan your body and mind and notice any changes you feel since you began. There are no right or wrong answers—just notice whatever you are feeling. Once you’ve made a note of any changes you feel, it’s time to add some new instructions. Begin to breathe the same way as before. During the pause while your breath is out of your body, consciously relax any part of your body that feels tense. For example, you might notice during your pause that you’re clenching your jaw. If you notice that, just relax your jaw any way you can. When you body signals “time to breathe,” let the breath come in all the way and then go out again. Pause with all the breath out of your body. During the pause, find another tense place and relax it. If you find a particularly tense place, feel free to return to it again and again during each pause until you feel it relax. Practice this breathing and conscious relaxing for about two minutes. Now take your mind off your breathing and relax for a few moments. Scan your body and mind, noticing sensations of well-being, clarity, and harmony. Compare how you’re feeling now to when you started. When you breathe correctly, you will always feel calmer and clearer when you finish. If you don’t feel calmer and clearer after a minute or two of practice, it’s usually because you are trying too hard to do it right. Don’t worry about doing it perfectly—just focus on keeping it easy and comfortable. Practice for a few minutes each morning. During the day, if you get jangled, fatigued, or foggy, just do a few breaths at your desk or as you walk around. You can easily do this in public without anyone noticing. Once you learn it, you’ll have a friendly and healthy practice for life. *Adapted from Achieving Vibrance by Gay Hendricks, PhD. Three Rivers Press, 2002 \| Return Home \| About Suzanne \| What I Offer \| Fees \| What Others Say About Me \| Upcoming Events \| Learning resources \| Contact Suzanne \| Join Mailing List \|