It’s the first thing we do when we enter this world and we work hard to ensure we do it for a long time thereafter.
Breathing. It’s an action our bodies do every minute of every day, without us paying much attention to it. It seems simple enough: inhale, exhale and allow the exchange of oxygen going in and carbon dioxide going out to happen. But what if you could manage so much more, with just a simple breath?
Breathing is the new stress ball. You remember those from the ‘80s? Squeeze the little yellow ball when you’re feeling stressed and keep going until you don’t feel like killing someone anymore.
Well, now science would like us to put away our balls (sorry, couldn’t resist) and take a deep breath instead.
When stress happens our breathing pattern changes. Instead of slow, deep breaths, we start taking small, shallow ones. We also start using our shoulders, rather than our diaphragm, to breathe and all of this, in turn, disrupts the balance of gases in our body, worsening our anxiety and physical symptoms to whatever stress is happening.
Breathing science also poses the question of what came first: the stress or the stress because we weren’t breathing properly in the first place?
Yoga has emphasized breathing for over 5,000 years. Michael Rudd, yoga instructor and owner of Open Space Yoga in Ladner, explains that yoga helps bring our breath to the forefront.
By linking the breath with the various postures performed in yoga, it allows just regular ol’ breathing to become conscious breathing. This is important, Rudd explains, because when we are conscious of our breath, we are more present and here, and when we are more present, we are more fully aware of what’s happening around us right now, as opposed to what did happen or what could happen.
Danielle Veldhuis, registered clinical counselor with Foundation Counselling in Tsawwassen, says that one of the first things she teaches her clients (who are struggling with stress and anxiety) are breathing techniques.
She, too, has found that just the simple act of stopping to breath and be mindful of the present allows her clients to relax, instead of worrying about the past or the future – both of which we have little control over, yet can stress us right out.
Veldhuis believes so much in the power of breathing that she likes to start and end each session with a focused breathing exercise.
If you want to stress less and breathe more, try this simple breathing exercise that Rudd recommends: Sit or lie down and try breathing in and out of your nostrils and deep down into your belly. Allow your belly to fully move and expand.
Second, hold your hands around the bottom of your ribcage, thumb around the back with your four fingers wrapped around the front of the body. Breathe slowly into your hands and feel the rib cage expand in all directions.
Third, remove your hands from around your ribcage and place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest. Close your eyes and breathe from your belly to the chest. Feel the breath fill the belly, rise up into your lower ribs and right up to the chest. Exhale from the chest down to the belly, all while maintaining relaxed shoulders.
Finally, be more conscious of your breathing throughout the day. Be aware that you are breathing deep into your belly, and avoid chest breathing. High chest breathing does not utilize the lungs properly, nor does it help decrease stress.
To reach Rudd, visit www.openspaceyoga.com. To reach Veldhuis, visit www.foundationcounselling.ca.
PJ Wren is a personal trainer in the Delta area who can be reached at www.fitnesswithpj.com.
