Believe it or not —breathing may be the single, easiest thing you can do that will have the biggest impact on your health and your life.
Really!
As humans we spend too much time sitting at a desk, bent over a computer, in cars and in front of televisions. All of our modern conveniences make us move less and decrease our connection to our bodies.
My point is….
All this sitting leads to stiffness in our spine and hips, and shallow breathing.
Shallow breathing means you’re taking in less oxygen and not accessing the full capacity of your diaphragm
SO WHAT?
Well, some ways poor breathing practices may show up for you are:
- chronic neck and shoulder tightness
- upper back pain
- headaches
- limited mobility
- poor endurance
Your body may be further impacted by the stress of injuries or childbirth.
The truth is, there’s almost nothing in our body that can’t be improved with proper breathing.
Breathwork is a powerful integrator that helps all parts of your body work together harmoniously.
The kind of breathwork I’m talking about is often referred to as diaphragmatic breathing, but this is a vague catch all term. What I’m referring to is learning how to expand all areas of your ribcage and improve the function of your diaphragm.
From high blood pressure, to anxiety to low back pain, 15 minutes of focused breathing a day can change your life.
Back Breathing
The exercise I’m sharing today is one of my favs! Many clients love this exercise as it drives expansion in the back body, and for people used to belly breathing it can be magic.
The picture above shows the compartments of the thorax. Note the large amount of space the posterior mediastinum comprises. This is the area we are talking about when we say “breathe into your back”.
If you are not expanding your back body when you breathe, not only are you limiting the amount of oxygen you’re pulling into your lungs — you’re also creating stiffness in your back.
When we breathe well, we create pressure changes, movement of our rib cage and this creates space which equals DECOMPRESSION!
Our bodies are constantly fighting against the natural forces of gravity. We manage this in subtle ways. One of the ways can be extension of our spine and flaring of our ribs, another is rounding (kyphosis) of our upper back and rolling our shoulders forward. Can you relate?
To counter this, try this body “check in” by laying on your back with your knees bent.
Can you allow your rib cage to be heavy to the floor? When you do this does your butt tuck way under like a dog putting his tail between his legs? Or does your chin pop up to the ceiling?
Now, try the exercise in the video and see if it improves your ability to allow your ribcage to settle back in space, and feel heavy to the ground when you are on your back, without all the compensations. If this helped, do it daily for a 3-5 minutes and see the changes it can make in your posture and depth of your breath.
Watch the video.
Feel free to reply, I’d love to hear what YOU experienced.
Interested in learning more about how breath can reduce pain and stiffness and increase wellness and mobility? Join the facebook group
Keep moving forward in life and learning,
Maria