Let’s do a breath check. No, not for any type of odor, but for negative habits that are subtracting from your health! If you are confident about anything, then it probably is your ability to breathe. However, you probably haven’t been breathing in a way that produces your optimal health since you were a toddler. To lead your best life, you must know that there is a right way and a wrong way to breathe. There are reasons why people who practice yoga focus largely on breathing: they recognize the importance of managing one's air when it comes to achieving physical alignment and a sound mind.
Here are some simple ways to increase your energy, decrease anxiety and stress, enjoy quality sleep, maintain your organ systems, and improve the quality of your personal life and relationships - all by intentionally breathing the way you were designed to.
1. Breathe Clean
Remember when Sue Sylvester, the antagonist of the FOX hit TV show "Glee," used to rip the glee club by calling them “scab-eating mouth-breathers?” Well, while she did not intend to uplift them in any way, she was on to something when she insinuated that mouth-breathing is a negative thing. The nose upgrades the air that enters the body by trapping pathogens. To breathe through the mouth is to intake crude air that is unfiltered, cold, dry and full of viruses and bacteria that can infect the body. Give your immune system some love by breathing through your nose as much as possible.
2. Breathe Deep
Make sure the air you inhale through the nose goes all the way down to your belly, incorporating the abdomen, chest, neck and shoulder muscles. Breathing deeply stimulates your digestive organs and helps them to operate in a more balanced fashion. Practicing this way of breathing helps prevent the overworking of the heart by decreasing pressure in the chest and belly, as well as soothes pain in the neck and shoulders by relaxing the muscles. Breathing deeply also helps the lymphatic system to get rid of waste through the bowels more effectively. Taking deep breaths is vital, but do not underestimate the importance of exhaling completely. Many people retain carbon dioxide in their body rather than expelling it completely, causing harmful stress to the nervous system and preventing the lungs from replenishing the body’s oxygen supply.
3. Breathe Calm
Observing the nature of your breathing gives you insight into the effects of your thoughts and emotions on your physical state. If you are stressed, your breathing will become tenser and shallower, which leads to a lack of oxygen, causing the body and brain to experience even more stress than before. Don’t let this vicious cycle persist —create a virtuous one. Rather than letting your stress control your breathing, practice breathing that will allow you to take control of your stress levels. When your breathing is more relaxed, your body follows suit and causes your health to improve, your energy to increase, and your mood to brighten.
BONUS:
When you are conscious of your breathing, the task of controlling air intake shifts from the brain stem to the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for reasoning, thought and action. This enhances a person’s ability to take captive idle and stressful thoughts. As a person who can easily fall into anxiety and stress, I’ve found conscious breathing to be a surefire way to avoid unhealthy levels of stress and reinforce positive thinking. Sometimes, as I breathe, I’ll imagine that I’m inhaling a positive idea and exhaling a negative one. For instance, on my morning runs, I will inhale love and exhale fear. This habit has created a significantly more peaceful environment in my mind.
With all that being said, do yourself a favor and take 30 minutes to breathe deeply through your nose, fill your belly with air, and exhale completely. You could even set an alarm every hour or so to remind yourself to check your breathing. Whatever method you use, conscious breathing is worth the effort.
