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Breathing Exercises May Be Doing More Harm Than Good

Breathing exercises appear in many sports training programs and play a prominent role in yoga and martial arts.

Much emphasis is placed on correct breathing and exercises to enhance the process due to its influence on performance.

However, breathing must not be viewed as a separate function but as a process involving the whole person. Tension and performance anxiety affect breathing as tight muscles restrict intake and changes at a hormonal level compromise the delivery and absorption of oxygen.

Exercises that focus on breathing alone may interfere with a process that should be a natural function as your body responds to the physical demands you place on your body.

To concentrate on breathing during exercise or activity is to put the cart before the horse. We just don't have the ability to estimate the exact oxygen requirement of the body to the point where we can consciously regulate our breathing to meet it!

To Breathe or Not To Breathe

Your posture and how you use your muscles are one of the main factors in the quality of your breathing. Where poor breathing habits already exist, breathing exercises may serve only to consolidate the habit.

Lung capacity is also considered important for good breathing, yet more fundamental is the ability of the ribcage and diaphragm to expand and contract to create the space, a function easily obstructed by unnecessary muscular action often created by breathing exercises.

How posture affects your breathing

We breathe perfectly well as infants and whilst asleep so why try to improve a natural function? Coaches of breathing exercises instruct the pupil ‘to control the diaphragm’, yet as this muscle has no proprioceptive nerves (nerves that feed back sensation) we cannot know what it is doing.

In business the popular mantra states ‘you cannot manage what you cannot measure’. If we have no direct sensation of the diaphragm we do not know what effect our attempts at controlling it are actually doing to the muscle.

If your posture is poor and you are using the wrong muscles to support your body this can prevent your ribs from moving as nature intended. But trying to stand up straight won't help either as this adds extra tension to your torso and tightens the muscles around your ribs.

Try This 'Breathe Easy' Routine

This is not like breathing exercises you may already be familiar with because we are not going to try and do deep breathing. If you are sitting or standing still you will not require large amounts of oxygen.

You can sit or stand or lay down to do this procedure. Allow the air to flow in and out of your nose notice the movement of the ribcage going slightly up and outwards into the gap between your torso and arms.

If the ribs are not moving you are holding tension somewhere in your frame causing the muscles of the torso to act like a straight jacket. Remember the facial muscles and nose are not used to do the breathing, you do not need to suck in the air because lower pressure in the lungs will 'draw' the air inwards.

Your nose is purely the inlet and should be passive in the breathing process.

Concentrating on breathing alone may interfere with a process that should be determined by the physical demands placed on your body.

To concentrate on breathing during exercise or activity is to put the cart before the horse. We just do not have the ability to estimate the exact oxygen requirement of the body to the point where we can consciously regulate our breathing to meet it!

For a few moments just let yourself be 'breathed' and take a back seat and observe where the ribs move. There should be no pause between the inhale and exhale phase because this is a symptom of interfering with the free-flow of air.

Inhalation involved air rushing into the area of lower pressure in your lungs after exhalation, which is dependant on your thoracic muscles contracting once stretched by the movement of the ribs.

Let your mouth drop slowly open and then exhale adding a slight whisper to it. When you reach the point where the flow starts to dip (do not empty your lungs!), close your mouth and do absolutely nothing.

The air should begin to flow instantly back in through your nose and push the ribs out and up. You do not need to attempt to move your ribs as its the incoming air that will inflate your torso. If you try to move the ribs it will interfere with your natural coordination.

Return to just sitting and breathing and repeat the 'whisper breath' every few minutes. Listen to the sound of your breath - it should sound like a gas leak. Any unnecessary tension in the body will alter the sound.

This procedure is one of many that can be used to bring you into the moment, one of the sensations described by athletes in The Zone. Be aware of your breathing when training and see if you have developed habits that may impede the process.

Yoga And Breathing Exercises

You may argue that breathing exercises play a large part in yoga, a system that has proven tremendously beneficial over centuries. However, the procedures used in yoga are not meant to be used for improving your breathing directly.

They're not breathing exercises as such but a method to change your mental state and bring your focus onto yourself. In some forms of yoga they are not taught to beginners and may not be used for several years. I believe the means has been mistaken for the end!

Breathing is best left to nature - all you have to do is to ensure you're not interferring with it. How would you know? try my body awareness test.

Poor posture, tight muscles and stress will impede your natural breathing function. Yet many of us will not be aware if we suffer from these problems.

Learn the art of poise to help your breathing Poise is the lost skill as many of us lose the natural art of movement due to poor habits. Regain your poise and your posture will return whilst your breathing becomes easier.

Breathing: it's an exchange of air
It's the first and last thing we do, we do it when we are asleep yet we can do so much to interfere with it. Take a look at one of our breathing procedures to encourage unimpeded, natural breathing without a deep breath in sight.

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The Physical, Psychological and Spiritual Benefits of the Alexander Technique: by Alex Maunder
A deeper look into how learning and applying The Alexander Technique can benefit more than just you muscles. Explains the Technique in terms of energy flow and how we can direct energy with our thoughts.

Want to ask a question?
My view of breathing exercises is different to the conventional approach. If there is anything on this page that you would like to follow up please feel free to contact me

SBI!

Breathing Exercises May Be Doing More Harm Than Good

To Breathe or Not To Breathe

Try This 'Breathe Easy' Routine

Yoga And Breathing Exercises

Worth A Look

More on Posture