Every Breath You Take is Important

Are you getting your optimum oxygen intake with every breath you take? Proper breathing methods can play a key role toward having improved health. When you were told to sit up straight in your chair as a child, there was actually some science behind it. Simply having bad posture can constrict your lung capacity, decreasing the amount of oxygen your body gets. While your body requires many nutrients on a daily basis, oxygen is one of the most important substances taken into the body. The average person becomes seriously distressed after one minute without oxygen. Every breath nourishes the cells, provides the energy needed to break down waste products and toxins, regulates the pH of body chemistry, drives the desire to breathe, strongly builds up your immune system defenses, and helps fight off infection.   Getting an adequate amount of oxygen is essential for living; however, for most people, an “adequate” amount of oxygen is all we get. According to research, the average adult exchanges 500 ml of air per breath. However, using the diaphragmatic breathing “the air exchange can be increased to 2000 – 6000 ml of air per breath” (source: http://www.taichibreathing.com/articles/reduceresidual.htm). If diaphragmatic breathing increases the amount of oxygen intake by 400 – 1200%, it would also increase the amount of toxins eliminated through your exhalation by that amount. Research according to the University of Maryland Medical Center (http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/Tai-Chi-000361.htm) reveals: “The deep [diaphragmatic] breathing… regulates the respiratory system, helping to treat respiratory ailments such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema. It also stimulates the abdomen, which aids digestion and helps relieve constipation and gastrointestinal conditions.” Here are some tips for breathing a little deeper: • When breathing more deeply, start by focusing on your exhale. By focusing on the inhale, you might run the risk of inadvertently sending the “fight or flight” signal to your body (think about it, if you need to suddenly run, the first thing you do it to inhale sharply), which is anything but relaxing…Focusing first on the depth of the exhale helps you to avoid this natural response and the depth of the inhale will automatically match the depth of the exhale. • To more deeply exhale, begin your exhale as usual and then when you think you are just about done, contract the lower abdominal muscles (as well as the muscles of the lower back, the oblique muscles on the sides of your stomach, etc!) – this increases the pressure on the diaphragm muscle (referring to the thoracic diaphragm muscle, which is a dome-shaped muscle located below the lungs) and essentially pushes it into a relaxed position which then puts pressure on the lungs to exhale more deeply. Visualize your entire body as a balloon that is being deflated (equally from all angles). • Relax the abdominal muscles to create space for the diaphragm muscle to contract (flatten out so that it is no longer dome-shaped). This will create a negative pressure causing the lung capacity to increase so you are able to inhale more deeply. Visualize your entire body as a balloon that is filling up with air – the air is radiating out from the center equally in all directions. • In time, as you get accustomed to the feeling of the diaphragm muscle, switch your focus from the abdominal muscles to the movement of the diaphragm. Unless you have a debilitating breathing disease or condition, it is possible to improve your breathing capacity and therefore your health. Always consult your physician before engaging in any deep breathing regimens. Enhance every breath you take! Dean Sutzer instructs deep breathing techniques as a part of a Qigong and Tai Chi classes/seminars. Dean brings 48+ years of instructional experience to his students. For more information on wellness related coaching classes/seminars, please contact him at: (931) 319-0499 | DSutzer@gmail.com “If your body was a symphony, breathing would be the conductor.” Dean M. Sutzer