NOSE BREATHING & WHY IT MATTERS
Nose breathing builds up essential co2 and nitric oxide for more efficient use of o2.
Breathwork is the new yoga! Everywhere we go we hear people talking about breathing, often asking in a bemused way “well why would I need a breath coach, I’ve been doing it all my life!”
Here’s why:
Most people breathe dysfunctionally.
Most people are habituated to chronic over breathing.
Over breathing paradoxically supplies less oxygen to the vital organs and across the blood brain barrier.
Over breathing has many health repercussions (physical and mental).
Over breathing can set up a cycle of anxiety, stress, increased breath, increased symptoms, less efficient breathing etc.
Breathing well lies at the heart of our health and wellness. It can make the difference between a regulated nervous system and a dis-regulated one, in other words we can learn to self manage and self soothe once we understand our breath. This offers us the opportunity to escape repetitive looping patterns of anxiety, stress, tension and poor health.
The diaphragm, our main breathing muscle is one of the most dysfunctional muscles in the entire body -
so it’s no surprise that many of us breathe in our chests and shoulders more than we do in our bellies and lungs. Most oxygen rich blood pools in the bottom 15% of our lung space, and without good breathing, that oxygen rich blood stays there never reaching the parts it needs to reach! By bringing our awareness to the breath, we can begin to change these patterns and increase the availability of that oxygen into our cells (supports the mitochondria in healthy cell activity), our vital organs and our brain. Humans have large brains and we need that oxygen to have them work well!
When we learn how to slow the breath and nose breathe on a day to day basis, we typically begin to strengthen the diaphragm, increase the oxygen release to the rest of the body, and make available the nitric oxide produced in the nose to support that process. This in turn can radically improve our health all round.
Depending on the degree of over breathing, various (and numerous) symptoms may be present.
Poor sleep
High anxiety
Poor dental health
Reduced gut health
Increased stress levels
Depression
Headaches & migraine
Sinus issues
Shortness of breath
Breathing should be effortless, regular in pattern, through the nose when at rest or in gentle exercise, and inaudible in those resting moments. Your pulse rate would show as regular and your chest would barely move.
Check yourself today and begin to observe your breathing habits. How are they in your normal day to day experience?
Connected breath, the style we teach at Integrative Breath offers an incredible opportunity to make conscious the unconscious because of course, our hidden traumas and buried life experiences all affect our breathing! The more dynamic styles activate the sympathetic nervous system bringing those aspects of our psyche to light. From there, with good, well trained facilitators and personal support, we can release those stored traumas and return to our full potential as human beings in charge of our ow lives. No longer at the mercy of old stories and difficult memories, we can support others with their healing too, an healthy healed people create a healthy, healed world. Connected breath is a mouth breathing technique, specifically useful in unearthing these old stories. On a daily basis we do not recommend it for long periods but on an occasional basis, it really does ROCK!
To discover more or learn with us, please visit our website https://integrative-breath.com - we offer in-depth training at the cutting edge where science meets spirituality! Our next cycle starts in 8 weeks (November 2021). Be part of this amazing work and change your life today!
