Are You Actually Breathing Well?

We breathe somewhere around 20,000 to 30,000 times every day.

But how often do you actually notice how you are breathing?

Breathing happens automatically, which is wonderful. You don't have to remember to breathe while you're sleeping, driving, working, or walking around the house.

The problem is that automatic doesn't necessarily mean optimal.

Stress, posture, injury, illness, anxiety, inactivity and years of habitual movement can gradually change the way we breathe. Because these changes usually happen slowly, we adapt to them. Eventually what is familiar begins to feel "normal."

You may be breathing through your mouth.

You may be breathing too quickly.

You may be moving a tremendous amount of air even while sitting still.

You may be breathing primarily into your upper chest while your ribs, diaphragm, abdomen and back barely move.

And you may have no idea you're doing it.

This is why one of the foundations of Breath Therapy is incredibly simple:

Learn to feel yourself breathe.

What Does Healthy Breathing Look Like?

There isn't one perfect breath that everyone should reproduce all day long. Your breathing should constantly adapt to what you're doing.

Running up a hill requires something very different from sitting quietly reading a book.

But at rest, there are some qualities we can begin to cultivate.

1. Breathe Through Your Nose

For most quiet, everyday breathing, your nose should be doing the work.

The nasal passages filter, warm and humidify incoming air. Nasal breathing also naturally creates resistance to airflow and participates in nitric oxide physiology.

More importantly from a training perspective, breathing through the nose helps us slow everything down.

Instead of gulping large amounts of air, we begin to develop a quieter, more controlled breath.

Make nasal breathing your default whenever it is comfortable and appropriate.

2. Let Your Breathing Become Quiet

Sit still for a moment and listen.

Can you hear yourself breathing?

Can someone sitting next to you hear it?

Healthy resting breathing is often surprisingly subtle.

This can be difficult at first because many of us associate a "good breath" with a big breath.

But more isn't always better.

The goal isn't to continually pull as much air as possible into your lungs. The goal is to breathe appropriately for what your body actually needs.

At rest, that usually means much less than we think.

3. Feel Your Body Participate

Your lungs don't move by themselves.

Breathing involves the diaphragm, ribs, abdominal wall, spine, pelvic floor and many other tissues throughout the body.

Put your hands around your lower ribs and breathe normally.

What moves?

Do the ribs expand?

Does one side move more than the other?

Can you feel movement in your back?

Does your belly soften and respond?

Don't immediately try to correct anything.

Feel first.

Awareness gives you information. Once you can feel your pattern, you can begin changing it.

4. Notice Your Breathing Rate

Here's a simple experiment.

Sit quietly for a few minutes without intentionally changing your breathing.

Then count how many breaths you take in one minute.

One inhale and one exhale equals one breath.

Don't judge the number.

This isn't a test you pass or fail. It's information about your current respiratory state.

Then experiment with slowing down.

Try breathing in gently for approximately five seconds and breathing out for approximately five seconds.

Keep it comfortable.

Notice what happens to your body, heart and mind.

5. Notice How Much Air You're Moving

Breathing rate is only part of the equation.

We also need to consider breathing volume.

You can breathe slowly and still breathe enormous breaths.

This is something I had to learn in my own practice.

For years I thought better breathing meant deeper breathing. Deep breathing practices taught me a tremendous amount about my body, but eventually I discovered another layer:

The subtle breath.

Can you breathe gently enough that you barely feel the air entering your nose?

Can you allow the inhale to arrive instead of pulling it in?

Can the exhale leave without pushing it out?

When unnecessary effort disappears, something remarkable happens.

The body becomes quieter.

And so does the mind.

6. Can You Stay Relaxed While You Breathe?

This may be the most important question of all.

Watch your jaw.

Your eyes.

Your neck.

Your shoulders.

Your belly.

Your pelvic floor.

Are you subtly bracing while you're breathing?

This is where breathwork becomes somatic work.

We're no longer simply counting seconds or performing an exercise. We're learning how the nervous system organizes the entire body around every breath.

And that awareness begins to carry into everything else you do.

Walking.

Exercising.

Sleeping.

Working.

Yoga.

Meditation.

Stressful conversations.

Life.

Don't Try to Perfect Your Breath

Breathing isn't something we need to obsessively control.

The goal is actually the opposite.

We practice so the body eventually requires less conscious control.

We teach the nervous system what efficient, relaxed breathing feels like until it begins to recognize that state on its own.

That takes patience.

It takes curiosity.

And it takes repetition.

Start with something incredibly simple today.

Sit quietly.

Close your mouth.

Breathe through your nose.

And for five minutes, don't try to make your breathing better.

Feel it.

Where does it move?

Where doesn't it move?

Where are you working unnecessarily?

Can you soften?

Then allow the breath to become a little quieter.

A little slower.

A little less.

You may discover that learning to breathe better isn't really about adding anything.

It's about removing everything you no longer need.

Breathe low.
Breathe slow.
Breathe through your nose.

Om Shanti,

Rick
Breath Therapy MN