The power of breathing

Breathing is something that everyone does every day without really thinking.  Therefore, most people don’t recognize the power to control anxiety, relieve stress, stimulate sleepiness or increase focus that can come from controlled breathing.  Diaphragmatic breathing is something that I teach most of my patients.  It is a useful tool that, when practiced, can be called upon automatically at trying and emotional times, but its benefits are far greater than a few applications.

You may be asking what diaphragmatic breathing really is.  It is a type of breathing that fully inflates your diaphragm, thus creating deeper breaths.  The basic idea is that you inhale until your diaphragm is fully inflated and hold your breath for a split second before exhaling completely.  The key is to have your exhalation be twice as long as your inhalation.  In my opinion, the best way to achieve this is to count during your breath cycle.  Everyone has a different lung capacity based on many factors including size, gender, etc.  Therefore, I often suggest starting with an average count and adapting it to what works for your natural breath capacity.  The average inhalation is a count of 6 with a one second hold and an exhalation count of 12. If you are struggling to find a count that works for you, you can even download an application to help you.  For added stress relief benefit you can breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.

I recommend doing the full cycle ten times and practicing it every morning or night before bed even when you don’t feel as though you need it.  Since bedtime practice helps your body settle and may improve the quality of your sleep, it can be a good option for people who struggle with sleep issues.  Morning practice is good for people who need to work on focusing to get their day started and accomplish tasks.  Practicing regularly, as mentioned above, helps individuals who struggle with panic attacks call on this technique quickly to help minimize panic symptoms.  The counting aspect of this exercise helps to bring your mind to the present and distract you from other factors that may be causing paralyzing fear or unhappiness.

So now it’s time for you to start using something you already know in a new way.  The power of breathing may just amaze you.