Breathing Deeper and Better

Do you think ever about the process of breathing… while you are breathing? Probably not, because breathing is so natural for most of us. Our bodies take care of breathing all on their own without requiring any real conscious thought from us. Our lungs fill with new fresh air and expel old stale air. Just like that. Easy as pie.

Many of us would be surprised to know that we not be breathing as well as we could be. Even when the human body seems to breathing as it is supposed, the truth is that it may not be doing so in the most productive and effective way possible. That’s when actually thinking about breathing can be helpful.

If you stop to think about the process of breathing, you’ll probably concentrate on your lungs. But, although lungs take in oxygen and deliver it throughout the body, the diaphragm does the vast majority of the real work of breathing. The diaphragm is a muscle located at the bottom of the chest cavity. The diaphragm and abdominal muscles are instrumental in helping the lungs expand and contract so people can breathe deeply and get the right amount of fresh air in and the right amount of stale air out.

Unfortunately, some physical conditions can affect the body’s ability to breathe deeply. Age can also have an impact. But, there are things we can do to improve the way we breathe. First, it’s helpful to check out how deeply we are breathing. To do so, simply place one hand on your chest and the other hand on your stomach as you breathe normally. Contrary to what you may think… if you are breathing deeply, the hand on your stomach should rise and fall with each breath. The hand on your chest will move only during shallow breathing, which is when only the top of your lungs are filling with air. (See Belly Breathing exercise below)

If you find you are not breathing deeply, let your doctor know. Many people who are shallow breathers are able to strengthen their diaphragms and improve their breathing through simple exercises.