Let’s learn how to breathe. Find a comfortable position with your spine aligned, place your hands on your lower ribs. Inhale deeply to expand your torso out 360 degrees and then relax to exhale.
The primary breathing muscles are the diaphragm at the bottom of your lungs and the intercostal muscles between your ribs. Visualize and feel your diaphragm pressing down into your abdomen and your ribs expanding out on each breath. Avoid letting your shoulders rise up as this breathing pattern is shallow.
We’re meant to breathe through the nose most of the time as this promotes deeper breathing and better facial structure. Mouth breathing is associated with poor breathing habits, higher levels of stress, and poor facial development. Tongue posture to a great extent actually determines the shape of your face!
Improve your tongue posture by pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth, similar to the position it's in when you make an "n" or "ng" sound. The practice is called mewing and it improves breathing and facial structure over time.
If your nose is clogged, unclog it by closing your nostrils with your fingers and holding your breath for 5-10 seconds. Repeat this process until your nose clears. Nasal strips that open the nasal passage can also help. The o2 trainer by Bas Rutten is a tool to help you connect with your breathing muscles. Practice taking 30 deep breaths 1 time per day.
I was a mouth breather for the majority of my childhood because I didn’t know any better! It’s now been close to 5 years since I’ve begun making an effort to nasal breathe, and while it has not been easy, my quality of life is much better now. Learning how to breathe has improved my ability to overcome simple ailments like stomach aches and headaches, and it’s improved my cardio and recovery abilities. Learn how to breathe and put in the effort and I guarantee you your life will improve.
Hope this helps! - Tom
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