This one action makes me regain control over any situation

“Smile, Breathe and Believe in Magic” — Walt Disney

Stop! Take a deep long breath. Yes, just that. This is my secret weapon: a deep breath. The problem is that it doesn’t come easily at all. Weirdly, this needs to be practiced and practiced well and consistently. But I promise you it works magic.

Deep breathing and breathing exercises used to inconvenience my yoga practice. I found them to be a waste of time, a mainstream self-improvement hoax. Breathing is breathing, there isn’t a right or wrong way of doing it and it only serves physiological purposes…

… Everything I believed about breathing turned out to be completely wrong. It’s weird to think I’ve wasted 24 precious years dismissing it and taking it for granted. Breathing for me is now THE most important process in any given task.

Here are the Why and How of deep breathing to save every. single. situation.

🌬 WHY

You won’t feel the whole spectrum of the benefits of diaphragmatic breathing from the first couple of times. Give it a month of everyday practice, a month of dedication. Improper breathing can throw off the oxygen balance in the body, which in turn results in lower oxygen delivery to the brain and other organs. A biological domino effect later, this leads to stress, anxiety, panic attack, fatigue, sleep troubles, muscle tensions, etc…

If we believe that nature makes us the way we’re truly supposed to be, think about this: newborns, deep sleep, unconscious sighs every now and then, they’re all examples of diaphragmatic breathing, which we lose in this fast-paced life.

Here are just a few of the benefits of diaphragmatic breathing. Honestly, the list can go on.

1. Releases ~ 70% of the body’s toxins. Mainly in the form of CO2 (or carbon dioxide), which is the waste product of metabolism. Exhaling fully rather than shallowly will rid our body of as much CO2 as possible.
2. Increases energy. Cleaner blood flow means higher levels of oxygen delivered to the brain and muscles, which in turn leads to higher nutriments exchange.
3. Betters focus. There is evidence of higher sustained attention and task-focused awareness, better learning and affect in general after the practice of deep breathing.
4. Improves respiratory system. By training your breathing, the diaphragm has an increased range of motion and our lungs can function to full capacity. It opens up the chest and releases tensions around the abdomen for a better posture.
5. Calms the nervous system. This goes back again to cleaner blood flow to the brain. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system (the rest and digest system) and puts us in a more relaxed state. Deep breathing increases the brain’s alpha waves (calms down and promotes deeper relaxation and content) and decreases theta power (learning, memory, and intuition).
6. Strengthens the lymphatic system. A healthy lymphatic system means a boosted immunity and a more efficient fight against bacteria and infections.
7. Relaxes muscles. Shallow breath leads to tenser and more contracted muscles.
8. Relieves pain, with the release of endorphins.
9. Ameliorates the digestive system. Another organ system receiving cleaner blood flow to function better.
10. Boosts the cardiovascular system. Stronger abdominal muscles massages and relaxes thoracic and abdominal organs, and increases blood flow delivery. It also decreases dramatically the chances of heart attack and lowers blood pressure.
11. Keeps us looking youthful. Not just because we’re already happier and more relaxed, but also because the aging process is slowed altogether by enhanced hormonal secretion.
12. Soothes the mental state. To all the previous points, every boosted physiological process contributes to a better psychological state. Hormonal balance and released endorphin, relaxed muscles, beautified face, healthier body, better focus, and higher energy ease perturbed mental states, from stress (lower cortisol levels), to anxiety, to anger to panic and many more, overwhelming situations are perceived and approached differently.

🌬 HOW

The breathing movement can be trained. Our consciousness and control over breathing can also be trained. What you don’t want to be is what we call a “chest breather”. With rapid more shallow breathing over time, muscular tissue around the chest loses its range of motion, just like any other untrained muscle in the body.

Place your right hand on your abdomen and your left hand on your chest and inhale. If you’re a chest breather, your left hand (and your chest) will move further forward than your right hand (and abdomen). Inhaling consciously will also make you realize that you still need to inhale deeper but can’t.

The reason why this kind of breathing is inefficient is because…

a) You do not use your lungs at full capacity — and that’s the purpose of voluminous lungs.

b) The highest exchange of oxygen happens in the deeper parts of the lungs.

Just like any muscle can be trained by repetitive and consistent training, so can abdominal and chest muscles, aiming for diaphragmatic breathing (from the abdomen). The diaphragm is a muscle located at the base of the chest. Here’s how you can train it to its full capacity.

1. Find yourself a comfortable place and position. Maybe just at first, maybe every time, but initially, this will help you really focus and reduce your outward thinking. Any position of your choice is fine. When I started I used to lie flat on my back with a hand on my chest and a hand on my abdomen.
2. Try to relax every single muscle. You might not realize it but everything from your toes to your shoulder to your tongue and facial muscles might be slightly contracted. Let it go.
3. Inhale through your nose to a slow count of 4. Always remember this: Mouth is for eating, Nose is for breathing. You should feel it flowing inwards.
4. Pause there. Contemplate your physiological and psychological changes. How does it feel?
5. Slowly exhale. Initially from your mouth, and for subsequent breaths from your nose. Gently press on your abdomen while fully exhaling.
6. Repeat the process by increasing the inhale and exhale time. It will feel as if you’re suffocating at first. Inhale until you can’t inhale anymore. Exhale fully and completely, and then exhale some more.

Try this more than once a day. As soon as you’re comfortable with your “CONSCIOUS” (and this is probably the most important part!!) breathing, try repeating it before every task. Before lunch, before shower, before bed. You won’t need to focus so hard anymore. With time, your mind will disconnect and focus inwardly alone. Your body will ask for it. I’m doing it right now, in the middle of my writing.

Remember! The first few times your mind will want to wander. If you really focus on your breath, you’ll disable any wondering. This is what needs training. We lose focus so fast and so easily. Deep breathing won’t be accomplished without the dedication, full attention and consistent mindful practice.

If you think about it, your breath is your best friend. The first thing and the last thing you will do on this earth. Make every single one in between worthwhile breathing and your life will be turned upside down.

“Breathing is the greatest pleasure in life.” — Giovanni Papini

It truly is.

A.