In this blog about breathing we will talk about the form of breathing. Do you breathe through your chest or through your stomach?
Not everyone breathes correctly.
When I was still working in my practice (Heelfit) I came across many people who breathed "high".
When you "breathe high" your shoulders move up as you inhale, often followed by the lifting of the entire chest (ribs rise). This is a very tiring way of breathing that puts a lot of strain on your muscles. This can cause head and shoulder pain, cramps in the shoulders and back, extreme fatigue, poor physical condition and chronic pain.
The correct way to breathe is with your diaphragm. By relaxing your diaphragm (this happens when your abdomen expands), air is sucked in. By tightening your abdomen, your diaphragm is pushed up and the air from your lungs is pushed out. Because this breathing is mainly visible in your stomach, it is also called "belly breathing".
Abdominal breathing exercise
- Place your hand below your belly button on your stomach.
- Intentionally push your belly (under your hand) outward as you inhale.
- Contract your abdominal muscles hard so that you exhale.
- Pause.
- Wait until the inhalation comes again and deliberately push your abdomen outwards under your hand.
- Contract your abdominal muscles again to exhale.
- Wait until the inhalation comes again.
- Now just let the inhalation come. Do you feel your hand moving outward as you inhale? If so, feel your hand descend again as you exhale. You now breathe relaxed with your stomach.
- If it still doesn't work, do the beginning of the exercise 10 more times and repeat this every day until it works.
I'm very curious how the breathing exercise above was for you! Leave a comment below.
If you have any questions about your breathing, go to a certified respiratory therapist.