Breathing is the most natural thing to do, right? So why am I sitting here writing a post about breathing? Can you believe that most of us are breathing wrong? Well, we’re alive, so we must be doing something right. The thing is, if we learn to breathe a little more consciously and from the diaphragm, we can reduce our stress levels, optimize our sense of smell and taste, and even live a little longer.

There are basically two types of breathing: cleansing and energizing. Cleansing breaths detoxify the body and stress exhalation. Energizing breaths focus on inhalation and collect and store vital energy.

Sounds like basic breathing so far. But what of the spontaneous ’sighs’ and ‘yawns’ we sometimes experience? A sigh is a cleansing breath, a long, forceful exhalation preceded by a quick gulp of air. People sigh when toxins in the bloodstream reach a critical level or energy is running low. In contrast, a yawn is an energizing breath–a long, deep inhalation briefly held in the lungs, followed by a short exhalation.

Breathing is a three step process. Did you ever notice a sleeping child or puppy? The stomach moves up and down as they breathe, not the chest. Take a gradual breath in, and expand your diaphragm. Your stomach should fill up like a balloon. Next, feel the air fill your lungs without lifting your chest or expanding your rib cage. Third, you can feel the air getting up into the top of your lungs. Exhale in the same manner, only the steps are in reverse. When we breathe, as we do, into the rib cage and the clavicle, our breaths are shallow and so not enough oxygen or negative ions are getting into the lungs and subsequently the blood stream leading to lower energy. A cleansing breath helps open the blood vessels in the brain as well, and is a great aid in relieving stress. Slower, deeper breaths will help the body to heat naturally, and comes in handy on a cold February day like today.

Chee-gung has been a formal branch of Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years, and means both ‘breathing exercise’ and ‘energy control’. It was found that it was first referenced in the mid-sixth century B.C. There are many different ways to do exercises in order to learn to breathe properly. This first one is for beginners and takes only 10 minutes a day.

· Dress in loose comfortable clothes.

· Find a comfortable, quiet location.

· Lay on back or sit with back erect in a chair or on the floor

· Count “1″ and breathe in and think “relax” and breathe out.

· Focus attention on breathing and counting.

· Expand diaphragm on breathing in and keep chest still.

· Count up to 10 and then back to 1.

· Practice up to twice daily, 10 minutes each time.

· Monitor your practice.

1. Place one hand on your chest and the other one on your stomach with your little finger just a little above your naval. The movement should come from your lower hand (diaphragm, muscle in stomach) not your chest.
2. Do not try to take in too much air and don’t slow your breathing down too much. Just breathe smoothly and easily through your nose. Do not hold your breath.
3. Count “one” mentally as you breathe in, and think “relax” as you breathe out. Then “two” on the next breath in, and breathe out and think “relax.” Do these until you get to 10 then start back at 1.
4. After about 5-6 weeks of doing chee-gung, gradually begin to slow your counting day by day until you can breathe at a rate of 10 breaths per minute at rest.

-Anne

Do you have any home remedies for better breathing? Comment and share them with us!

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