Breathing is essential for life and completely involuntary. Although we can control and regulate to a degree…yes?
Last week was absolutely crazy for me. I was very excited to have the Merrin back in school, Pearl homeschooling and have a regular schedule back. It was fantastic week but the shift from complete unstructure ( have to love the summer) into complete structure ( soccer games, homework ) made me see how completely off a schedule I was!
And I forget to do some deep relaxing breathing.
The deep belly breaths are what bring the needed oxygen to every deserving cell in my body ( HBD: A Heart Pumping Adventure). On average, people take in about 20,000 breaths ( optimally 6 breaths per minute) a day which help feed our cells, relief stress and tension and improve overall energy. At times, we have a tendency to shallow breath, which means we are breathing 12 to 14 quick breath per minute.
I did a lot of shallow breathing last week. Not so smart.
Long term shallow breathing not only leads to low blood oxygen, it may lead to muscle atrophy, impair skeletal muscle and possibly giving me another excuse not to go to the gym. My one week of not so optimally breathing, made me feel overtired, exhausted and one grumpy person,
Dr. Andrew Weil says: “If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe correctly.”
At various times of your daily life, take a moment and place your hands on you belly and actively draw in a long deep breath. Feel you belly expand as the fresh oxygen enters and fills your lungs. As your belly relaxes, allow for the air to slowly be breathed out. Concentrate on this for 5 counts. Encourage yourself do this 3 times a day and work up to more. You will feel better!
Breathe deeply, often and be well,
PS Deep breathing also stimulates the lymphatic system, which in turns keeps your immune system alert and strong. Good for fighting off colds!
Image credit: Daniel Cox
