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The Importance of Breathing in Well-Being

(re-post) . I found this in the Archives.  

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The importance of breathing in well being

There is much information on how to breathe properly, on why we don't, on why we should.  Over the years I've explored a number of techniques and found them all interesting, some more useful than others.  Thing is, I want a 'tool' that is simple, portable, easy and in Life, Travel Notes  (scroll down to contents - click on Breathing -  it's accessible and free) I give a three-breath exercise which provides such a tool. It serves me well if I need or want to take the time to relax and restores diaphragm breathing.

A few months back I got the notion that some sort of device that would remind me to breathe properly when I get slightly out of whack (like tending to revert to a shallow breath when excited or concentrating or in poor posture) would be beneficial.  I was thinking some sort of bio-feedback.  No luck coming up with something like this that was portable, simple etc.

But - and I find this interesting - my attempts to find something seemed to jump-start my body somehow and I found I was - well, monitoring my breath and when excited or concentrating or slouching - now do this: tongue against roof of mouth behind teeth, full breath gently into abdomen through nose,  then breathe out with mouth slightly  open, tongue relaxed, lips a bit pursed and making a sound of exhalation.  

At times one such breath is enough.  At other times I may do three or four before I go back to whatever I was  doing.  At still other times I find I go into the rhythm of counting silently to four on the in -breath and to eight on the out -breath.  This usually continues and the breath then, easily and almost without effort,  takes on a life of its own.  It may then become effortless and the experience of 'breathing the body' happens.  I came across this term in more than one of the books on breathing and I can't describe it better.  It's when letting- go occurs and the present is experienced.  You can't actually plan to let go;  you 'prime the pump', so to speak and then the letting-go happens.  Focus on breathing is a very good  'priming of pump'. 

 

 

 

Posted on November 11, 2011 at 11:04 AM | Permalink

There is much information on how to breathe properly, on why we don't, on why we should.  Over the years I've explored a number of techniques and found them all interesting, some more useful than others.  Thing is, I want a 'tool' that is simple, portable, easy and in Life, Travel Notes  (scroll down to contents - click on Breathing -  it's accessible and free) I give a three-breath exercise which provides such a tool. It serves me well if I need or want to take the time to relax and restores diaphragm breathing.

A few months back I got the notion that some sort of device that would remind me to breathe properly when I get slightly out of whack (like tending to revert to a shallow breath when excited or concentrating or in poor posture) would be beneficial.  I was thinking some sort of bio-feedback.  No luck coming up with something like this that was portable, simple etc.

But - and I find this interesting - my attempts to find something seemed to jump-start my body somehow and I found I was - well, monitoring my breath and when excited or concentrating or slouching - now do this: tongue against roof of mouth behind teeth, full breath gently into abdomen through nose,  then breathe out with mouth slightly  open, tongue relaxed, lips a bit pursed and making a sound of exhalation.  

At times one such breath is enough.  At other times I may do three or four before I go back to whatever I was  doing.  At still other times I find I go into the rhythm of counting silently to four on the in -breath and to eight on the out -breath.  This usually continues and the breath then, easily and almost without effort,  takes on a life of its own.  It may then become effortless and the experience of 'breathing the body' happens.  I came across this term in more than one of the books on breathing and I can't describe it better.  It's when letting- go occurs and the present is experienced.  You can't actually plan to let go;  you 'prime the pump', so to speak and then the letting-go happens.  Focus on breathing is a very good  'priming of pump'. 

 

 

 

The importance of breathing in well being

There is much information on how to breathe properly, on why we don't, on why we should.  Over the years I've explored a number of techniques and found them all interesting, some more useful than others.  Thing is, I want a 'tool' that is simple, portable, easy and in Life, Travel Notes  (scroll down to contents - click on Breathing -  it's accessible and free) I give a three-breath exercise which provides such a tool. It serves me well if I need or want to take the time to relax and restores diaphragm breathing.

A few months back I got the notion that some sort of device that would remind me to breathe properly when I get slightly out of whack (like tending to revert to a shallow breath when excited or concentrating or in poor posture) would be beneficial.  I was thinking some sort of bio-feedback.  No luck coming up with something like this that was portable, simple etc.

But - and I find this interesting - my attempts to find something seemed to jump-start my body somehow and I found I was - well, monitoring my breath and when excited or concentrating or slouching - now do this: tongue against roof of mouth behind teeth, full breath gently into abdomen through nose,  then breathe out with mouth slightly  open, tongue relaxed, lips a bit pursed and making a sound of exhalation.  

At times one such breath is enough.  At other times I may do three or four before I go back to whatever I was  doing.  At still other times I find I go into the rhythm of counting silently to four on the in -breath and to eight on the out -breath.  This usually continues and the breath then, easily and almost without effort,  takes on a life of its own.  It may then become effortless and the experience of 'breathing the body' happens.  I came across this term in more than one of the books on breathing and I can't describe it better.  It's when letting- go occurs and the present is experienced.  You can't actually plan to let go;  you 'prime the pump', so to speak and then the letting-go happens.  Focus on breathing is a very good  'priming of pump'.