Diaphragmatic (Deep Abdominal) Breathing
Makes a Huge Difference In How You Feel
Take a deep cleansing breath and exhale.........
It is important to note that modern medicine has finally
acknowledged what the yogis have known for thousands of years, that the breath
is intimately connected to the autonomic nervous system and the mind. Even some
hospitals and medical establishments are now willing to train people in breath
regulation and diaphragmatic breathing.
What's the difference?
When the diaphragm muscle contracts,
it pulls the bottom of the lungs downward, causing them to fill, while the ribs
flare outward to the sides. The chest and abdominal muscles are not used in
diaphragmatic breathing. Conscious diaphragmatic breathing is extremely relaxing
to the autonomic nervous system and is essential for relaxation and generating a
feeling of well being and contentment. This occurs because autonomic nervous
system establishes balance, and sends "feel good" neuro-chemicals to
your brain, clearing away excess adrenalin.
Additionally, your body needs to
eliminate toxins. The lymph system relies on deep breathing and movement for stimulation. Diaphragmatic breathing multiples by 15 times the pace of normal elimination.
Deep diaphragmatic breathing also improves digestion and waste elimination, by
massaging and stimulating all the internal organs.
Practice your breathing and feel great
When your diaphragm is used for
breathing, there is no motion in your lower abdomen, and your upper chest
remains still. However, many of us lead stress-filled lives, and learn bad
breathing habits, using the abdomen and the chest. This creates further tension
that leaves you in a vicious cycle of
mental chatter driving bad breathing and physical tightness. The bad breathing,
in turn, causes you to feel mental distress. While there is no motion of the
upper chest and lower abdomen in proper diaphragmatic breathing, it may take
some time and practice to attain this motionlessness, and to have the motion
occur only in the diaphragm area itself.
Take your time and retrain
yourself
You need to consciously practice diaphragmatic breathing. This
involves a retraining program, and while another person can teach us how to do
it, it is actually a self-training program. Nobody can do the actual awareness
and training for you.
The two keys to proper diaphragmatic breathing are: 1) to
receive proper training, and 2) to then practice every day.
To set aside a few minutes in the early morning and a few
minutes in the evening to sit quietly and consciously breathe
diaphragmatically is a very useful thing to do. To practice diaphragmatic
breathing a few more times during the day is even more beneficial.
-
Breathe with your diaphragm, allowing your ribs to
slightly flare out to the sides, while your shoulders, upper chest and abdomen remain
motionless.
-
Breathe smoothly, allowing no jerkiness or irregularities
to disturb the steady flow.
-
Breathe slowly, but within your comfortable capacity, not
straining or getting insufficient air.
-
Breathe at a comfortable depth; deeply, not shallow, but
also not exaggerating the depth.
-
Allow breath to flow continuously, with no pause allowed
between the breaths, either between inhalation and exhalation, or between
exhalation and inhalation.
-
Breathe evenly, so that exhalation and inhalation are of
the same duration. Once that is comfortable, allow the exhalation to be
twice as long as the inhalation during the practice time.
First, be aware of the motion of your diaphragm, allowing
your upper chest and your abdomen to be still. Then, after a few minutes, bring
your attention to the feeling of the air moving in your nostrils (still doing
diaphragmatic breathing). It is the cognitive sense of touch. Continue to
breath smoothly and slowly, with no jerkiness or pauses. Continue this for
several more minutes. This practice can be done as a complete breathing
practice itself, or as a part of a complete relaxation, or self-hypnosis practice.
While it should be self-evident, it needs to be pointed out
that the human body is designed to use the nose for breathing, not the mouth.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of advice circulated that one should breathe
through the mouth. Noses are meant for breathing.
Stay with it, you will feel
the difference
Practiced daily, this simple breathing technique can change your life for the better in many ways. After just 3 minutes (or ten deep, purposeful breaths, and having achieved a relaxed state of mind, one can more easily focus on the task at hand, or free oneself of anger, fear, stress, symptoms of anxiety and even minimize physical pain (when used in conjunction with visualization techniques).
Now, Practice! Take 10 Slow, Deep Breaths....
Make yourself as comfortable as possible... sitting or reclining with your spine straight and your arms and legs uncrossed. Close your eyes.
Inhalation: As you take your first breath, say silently, to yourself the number "One". Breathe in as deeply as is comfortable for you.... inhaling through your nostrils, filling and expanding your abdomen.
Imagine you're inhaling radiant energy... fresh air... and fresh thoughts ideas and energy.
Exhalation: Breathe out fully and completely... through your mouth.... Imagine you're exhaling negative energy or stale thoughts, tiredness, disease.... Allow all of the air to fully flow out of your body. Before you begin the next inhalation.... say, silently... to yourself, "Relax".
Repeat the above for each of the 10 breaths... (numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10) Imagine that each inhalation is slowly filling a bright blue balloon in your belly, or that you are inhaling positive thoughts and energy and exhaling the negative. Breathe rhythmically... slowly... and fully.
After the tenth exhalation is completed... slowly open your eyes and notice how relaxed you are.
Change your breathing rate... change your emotional state!
For
individual or group instruction
To learn more about breathing please attend our Workshop
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Copyright © 2002 2005 2006 2009 New York Awareness Center
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