Before beginning the exercise-based chapters in this book (see chapters 2–6), it is important to analyze your current breathing habits by asking yourself the four questions that follow. They will help you to identify some of the most common bad breathing habits, and then offer techniques to help you begin to undo the patterns. Once you have mastered the solutions and feel that you are breathing more deeply and easily, feel free to begin the practical breathing exercises in this chapter and chapter 2.
Unless you have a cold or are engaged in vigorous exercise, always try to breathe through your nose. This allows the filters in your respiratory system to cleanse the air you inhale of any bacteria and impurities and it also helps to keep your sinuses healthy (see page 19). Some breathing practitioners, including therapists of the Buteyko method (see page 157), suggest taping your mouth shut for a short period to check whether you breathe through your nose or mouth. If you feel comfortable trying this, place 2–3in (5–8cm) of paper surgical tape (from a pharmacy) vertically over your lips, from top to bottom and press lightly to secure. For 15–30 minutes, engage in silent activities, such as chopping vegetables, checking your emails or watching television.
CAUTION: Remove the tape from your mouth immediately if you feel at all distressed. Avoid this exercise if you have a cold or a blocked nose, have drunk alcohol or taken sleeping tablets, sedatives or muscle relaxants. Never tape a child’s mouth shut.
SOLUTION: If, after trying out the diagnostic technique above, you do not feel comfortable breathing through your nose, then practise one of the cleansing exercises on pages 31–2, which will help to cleanse and clear your nasal passages and can help you to break the habit of breathing through your mouth.
• Blocked nose and/or sinuses (once your cold has passed, see question 1).
• Tightness in chest (see question 3).
• Tight-fitting clothing (remove restrictive garments, then see questions 2 and 3).
• Full stomach/intestinal bloating (wait 2–3 hours after eating, then answer questions 1–4).
• Poor posture (see question 4).
• Excessive nervous tension (try Watching Your Breath, see page 27, before answering all four diagnostic questions).
Most people breathe shallowly, using only the upper portion of their lungs. To assess the depth of your breathing, lie on your back on a firm surface (not a bed or soft furniture). Put a cushion under your head or neck. Separate your legs, relax your feet and shake out your shoulders. Gently roll your head from side to side, then return it to centre. Rest your palms around your navel and take long, slow breaths, feeling your abdomen rise with each inhalation and fall with each exhalation. Try to draw air into the lowest portion of your lungs, expanding your abdomen. SOLUTION: If you cannot feel your abdomen moving, place a few books on it. Then relax your arms on the floor at about 45 degrees from your body with your palms facing upward and fingers gently curled. Keeping your head on the ground, open your eyes and look forward. When you breathe deeply, the books will rise as you inhale and drop as you exhale. With a child, substitute a doll or soft toy for books and ask the child to use his or her breath to give it a ride.
After perfecting deep abdominal breathing (see above), see if you are using your full lung capacity. Sit cross-legged on the floor or on a straightbacked chair with your feet flat on the floor. Straighten your back, lift your breastbone and relax your shoulders. Place one hand near your navel and the other on the bottom of your ribcage (above your waist). Notice your hands moving – as you inhale, your lower hand should move first, then your upper hand. This should reverse on the exhalation. If your hands don’t move, or move only slightly as you inhale, then you are not using your lungs fully.
SOLUTION: To learn to use them more fully, sit with your hands placed as before, close your eyes and visualize your lungs as long, skinny balloons. As you inhale, picture yourself taking a deep breath that fills the bottom of the balloons, then imagine the middle of the balloons inflating; finally fill the top with air. Feel first your abdomen, then your ribcage and finally your upper chest expand. As you exhale, feel the process reversing. This technique may take some days to master.
Next time you climb a flight of stairs, observe your breath and notice how soon you start to pant. Next, bring your awareness to your shoulder blades. Are they wide apart? This rounds your back and shoulders, causing your chest to cave in, which makes deep breathing difficult.
SOLUTION: If you do hunch your shoulders, press your shoulder blades together and draw them toward your waist. This frees your abdomen of unnecessary pressure and lets your diaphragm move easily, instantly allowing you to breathe more deeply. Now tune your breath and footsteps to each other. Inhale on the first two steps and exhale on the next two. Breathing rhythmically expels more carbon dioxide, enabling your lungs to take in a more generous supply of oxygen.