Breathe Easier
How Breathwork + Chiropractic Care Can Improve Your Vitality
Did you know that most people breathe incorrectly?
When we show our patients techniques for how to breathe, it’s amazing how many of them realize that they aren’t breathing properly. After all, breathing is an automatic process in our bodies so why does it need to be taught, right?! Yet, over half the population has issues breathing correctly and it has a profound effect on health and wellbeing.
Breathing 101
When you inhale, your diaphragm contracts, dropping down until it is stopped by your abdomen. At the same time, your lower ribs lift and expand to increase your thoracic cavity so your lungs can fill with air.
Shallow breathing limits the diaphragm’s range of motion so that your lungs do not fill properly. This can make you feel short of breath and anxious.
Conversely, when you engage in deep breathing, the air coming in through your nose fully fills your lungs. This allows your body to complete a full oxygen exchange, which is vital for allowing your body to do a variety of amazing things!
The Risks of Shallow Breathing
A majority of the population engages in shallow breathing, often the result of stress or poor posture. Without receiving the right amount of oxygen, the body is at risk for any number of the following issues:
Increased fatigue
Stress on the heart and lungs
Elevated levels of cortisol (the stress hormone)
Memory issues
“Our nervous system flows to every tissue in the body. If the stress side of our nervous system is overactive, it literally affects every tissue in our body,” says Philip Barr, MD, a board-certified integrative health doctor and staff physician at Global Cardio Care in Los Angeles.
Additionally, so many of us pour over a computer or handheld device day in and day out that we’re developing poor posture. This posture stops the rib cage from opening up and makes the mid-back area tight and often painful. The diminished chest expansion and lung capacity make it harder to take in the air you need to breathe deeply and freely.
The Benefits of Deep Breathing
Deep breathing bestows a number of amazing benefits on the body. It can:
Slow the heartbeat
Relax your muscles
Lower blood pressure
Reduce stress.
In technical terms, deep breathing triggers your body’s parasympathetic nervous.
“Triggering your parasympathetic nervous system helps you start to calm down. You feel better, and your ability to think rationally returns,” says Yufang Lin, MD, a doctor of internal medicine at the Center for Integrative Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic.
Additionally, research shows that breathing exercises can help manage symptoms of a variety of other health conditions like the following:
Hypertension
Asthma and COPD
Depression and Anxiety
Tension Headaches
Irritable Bowl Syndrome
Hot Flashes
How to Practice Deep Breathing
At Holistic Family Chiropractic, our doctors like to focus on improving breath technique, breath focus (meditation), and correcting subluxations, as these all go hand in hand to help you breathe easier.
There are many deep breathing techniques that help you breathe better and increase your lung capacity. Your doctor can help you find the one that works for you and will also ensure you are doing it properly.
Here are just a few examples of breathing techniques:
Belly breathing
4-7-8 breathing
Roll breathing
Morning breathing
Ujjayi breathing (aka yoga breathing)
Sometimes deep breathing is easier said than done. Just like anything else you learn, it requires patience, focus, and practice.
Deep Breathing & Meditation
Yoga, meditation, and other relaxation techniques not only allow you to practice deep breathing techniques but also help you to transition deep breathing into mindful breathing that helps calm nerves and reduce stress.
Mindful breathing is a basic yet powerful mindfulness meditation practice. The basic principle behind mindful breathing is to focus your attention on your breath—its natural rhythm and flow and the way it feels on each inhale and exhale. Having the ability to focus on your breath is a helpful skill for any time you start feeling stressed or carried away by negative emotions.
We understand breathwork can be a foreign concept for some. And for others, it’s hard to know where to start. Our practice believes so strongly in the power of breathwork and meditation that we have numerous FREE workshops to guide you through the process of controlling your breathing and thoughts and practicing meditation and yoga.
Your Spine Plays a Large Role in How Well You Breath
Working with your chiropractor to correct spinal subluxations (spinal misalignments) often has surprising benefits for your health, including improving your breathing.
The spinal column plays a key role in your central nervous system, making it essential to correct any misalignments so that signals flow throughout your body. Spinal subluxations may be physically restricting your ability to breathe or affecting the ability of your nervous system to do its job of carrying messages from the brain to other parts of the body. If your lungs aren’t getting the message that your body needs to take in more air, they won’t.
If you’re someone that has frequent or ongoing breathing problems, is experiencing a high level of stress, or would like to learn more about proper breathwork, contact us today. We can help you determine the best course of action so that you start breathing freely again!
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Sources
American Lung Association
National Institute of Mental Health
University of Michigan Health: Stress Management: Breathing Exercises for Relaxation
Everyday Health: 6 Possible Health Benefits of Deep Breathing
