Brian Tuck 

Breathe Deeper To Live Better

We did it as babies, we even it do it when we are sleeping. Breathe deeply. At some point in  our hectic day, we may even begin to feel fatigued and our mind, scattered. Our breath shallow, we hardly ever notice it.

Taking in just enough to survive, but not enough to potentially live a little better. We've somehow retrained that innate deep breathing animals know how to do when they breathe through their belly. Watch a cat lounging around and observe their belly rising and falling.

Some reasons for this are the distraction of our busy days; our attention everywhere else, but the very moment.  Those moments when our attention is focused, it is mostly on a specific task, deadline or maybe even an argument. The focus becomes externally influenced and distracts us from further awareness of the breath.

 Another reason we rarely breathe through our bellies during the day is our cultural view of big bellies. We have directed the breath through the chest to keep the belly inward even when we are relaxed. Perhaps we do this to avoid looking overweight or pot-bellied.

Take a moment in your day to just let it all hang out, a big Buddha belly. Breathing in through the belly allows the lungs to expand behind the diaphragm and we can take in more air. The reason why people feel so good coming out of a yoga class, a morning jog or a long bike ride is because they just devoted a block of time taking deep, steady, repetitive breaths.  Inspired by the movement of their body generating need for more oxygen, they feel relaxed and energized.  So why not replicate the same effect after sitting at a desk for a few hours, when enjoying a good book or even when faced with emotional distress.

Tips for better breathing

Requiring only your patience and attention. Breathe into all areas of the chest cavity.

1) In a chair, sit up nice and tall. Place your hands on your ribs on your sides in line with the armpit.  Feel the ribs stretch slightly under your hand when you take breathe in. Exhale twice as long as the inhale. Take in more air then you think you can and lengthen the exhale out, complete the breath. Feel the rib cage expand within the palm of your hands. Repeat 5-10 times.

2) Place palms of your hands on the belly, fingers on either side of the navel. Big Buddha belly. Expand the belly into the palm of the hand when you breathe in. Take deep breaths in and lengthen the exhale, complete the breath. Repeat 5-10  times.

3) Sit back into the chair and take your attention to the back of your body. Expand the tissue of your back into the chair as you take in deep breaths. Feel the back pressing on the inhale and lengthen the exhale, complete the breath. Don’t feel it? Try again, expand the back of the lungs into the back body, from your kidneys all the way to your shoulders. Repeat 5-10 times and even include the hands on belly.  Expand belly, back and side of the body. Grow the lungs in different directions.

Set an intention to take a minute to just breathe during the day. We don’t have to do any fancy breathing techniques to get the same benefit as simply taking in some fresh meaningful breaths. These exercises won’t scare your colleagues either.

The attention in that moment to take those deep breaths every few hours can slowly begin to make it’s way into your regular unconscious breaths. Developing new habits auto-reminds us when we forget.

If people intentionally take in super deep inhales when smoking a cigarette on their breaks, anyone can take those moments at their desk, when walking or even waiting in line. When and where can you apply better breathing in your day?

Benefits of taking deep meaningful breaths

-Aids in digestion as we are creating less tension in the belly, even some movement.

-Exchange of residual carbon dioxide from the lungs.  Removing stagnant air from the lungs increases their volume capacity, making room for more oxygen.

-Increased tissue function, reduction of mental fog, fatigue.

-Learning how to breathe better is extremely effective in handling depression anxiety and stress-related disorders.  All these have affects on weight management as well.

-As the heart stimulates the circulatory system, deep breathing stimulates the lymphatic system.  Your cells must have oxygen to survive. Blood flow carries nutrients and oxygen into the capillaries, while a healthy lymphatic system carries away destructive toxins. Proper breathing is what moderates this exchange.

Breathe.

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