3 ms·

Breathing through your diaphragm is desirable all the time and not only during a conscious exercise. Many years ago, I would breathe through my chest which made

Breathing through your diaphragm is desirable all the time and not only during a conscious exercise. Many years ago, I would breathe through my chest which made for shallow breathing. Look at how babies breathe; through their diaphragm/stomach. It took several months to shift my breath to the diaphragm. The exercises certainly help with lengthening the inhale and exhale, maximizing both oxygen intake and carbon dioxide excretion.

preparat 9y ago
About 3 years ago I started martial arts training. One of the first things I had to unlearn was shallow chest breathing. Imagine that, 40yrs old and having to relearn how to breathe properly. It took me probably close to 6 months to adjust.
- rishirishi 9y ago
  Yeah, I was surprised how long it took me to realize the error in my breathing. In hindsight, my athletic life before 21 could have benefited greatly from breathing "right".
dgreensp 9y ago
Healthy, full breathing involves significant expansion of the rib cage in all directions. I wish people would remember this before spreading the advice, “breathe into your belly, not into your chest.” Your lungs are in your chest. (And contrary to the article, by the way, the “lower part of your lungs” is not “just above your belly button.”) Most importantly, do not lock your chest or inhibit its movement. If you have poor posture and core support and a tight chest, I would say experiment with filling your lungs completely, and with engaging your abs very slightly on the _inhale_, to feel some of the sensations of full, supported breathing. Your core muscles create pressure that helps fully inflate your lungs. Don’t listen to any admonishments about “breathing wrong” as your body will use them to create additional tension and restriction rather than relaxation and freedom.
JshWright 9y ago
> maximizing both oxygen intake and carbon dioxide excretion. Assuming you're a reasonably healthy person (i.e. you don't have a chronic breathing condition like COPD), then your tidal volume isn't the limiting factor in either of those things. Your respiratory rate is driven by the level of carbon dioxide in your blood. Your body will adjust the rate up and down to keep it at an appropriate level (this is an important tool in your body's toolbox for maintaining the correct pH of your blood). Getting rid of too much CO2 is also bad (it's why someone who is hyperventilating ends up with spasms in the hands and feet). Getting rid of CO2 requires much more air movement than is necessary to keep your blood oxygen levels up. tl;dr; "Maximizing" those things shouldn't be a goal. Your body is already managing CO2 and O2 levels appropriately.

preparat 9y ago

About 3 years ago I started martial arts training. One of the first things I had to unlearn was shallow chest breathing. Imagine that, 40yrs old and having to relearn how to breathe properly. It took me probably close to 6 months to adjust.

rishirishi 9y ago
Yeah, I was surprised how long it took me to realize the error in my breathing. In hindsight, my athletic life before 21 could have benefited greatly from breathing "right".

dgreensp 9y ago

Healthy, full breathing involves significant expansion of the rib cage in all directions. I wish people would remember this before spreading the advice, “breathe into your belly, not into your chest.” Your lungs are in your chest. (And contrary to the article, by the way, the “lower part of your lungs” is not “just above your belly button.”) Most importantly, do not lock your chest or inhibit its movement. If you have poor posture and core support and a tight chest, I would say experiment with filling your lungs completely, and with engaging your abs very slightly on the _inhale_, to feel some of the sensations of full, supported breathing. Your core muscles create pressure that helps fully inflate your lungs. Don’t listen to any admonishments about “breathing wrong” as your body will use them to create additional tension and restriction rather than relaxation and freedom.

JshWright 9y ago

> maximizing both oxygen intake and carbon dioxide excretion. Assuming you're a reasonably healthy person (i.e. you don't have a chronic breathing condition like COPD), then your tidal volume isn't the limiting factor in either of those things. Your respiratory rate is driven by the level of carbon dioxide in your blood. Your body will adjust the rate up and down to keep it at an appropriate level (this is an important tool in your body's toolbox for maintaining the correct pH of your blood). Getting rid of too much CO2 is also bad (it's why someone who is hyperventilating ends up with spasms in the hands and feet). Getting rid of CO2 requires much more air movement than is necessary to keep your blood oxygen levels up. tl;dr; "Maximizing" those things shouldn't be a goal. Your body is already managing CO2 and O2 levels appropriately.