If you are searching the internet on how to stop shallow breathing, let us remind you that shallow breathing problems can be treated with deep breathing technique. Deep breathing helps us to calm agitation, stress and anxiety. Breathing well to live better is a principle of physical and mental well-being.
What is the idea behind deep breathing?
Many of us are part of this hyperventilated world and suddenly (when we feel the need or the curiosity to practice yoga, Mindfulness or Tai-Chi) we become aware that breathing is more than simply taking air and then expelling it again. In this rhythmic process of expansion and contraction, breathing also represents this constant polarity that we see in nature, like day and night, like wakefulness and sleep, like calm and storm, winter and spring.
Most of us breathe fast and shallowly, not using the full capacity of our lungs. In a normal state, we breathe between 12 and 18 times a minute. However, when we suffer from anxiety or stress, the number of this respiratory rate reaches up to 30 breaths, affecting your BP, immune system, your muscles and even your minds. However, something as simple as “taking a deep breath” and doing it with control generates a systemic benefit.
Deep but paused breath
Breathing is one of the few bodily functions that we do both voluntarily and involuntarily. It is a great opportunity to control our body, improving our quality of life, if we manage to exercise that control in an intelligent way. Think that voluntary and conscious breathing can influence the way we breathe when we do it automatically. In this way, we improve blood pressure, heart rate, circulation, digestion, and many other bodily functions.
There is a very important fact that deserves at least a reflection. When we take a deep breath (slowly) to counter shallow breathing, we are able to make sure that the oxygen actually reaches the cells and that the level of CO2 in the blood does not go down. The type of breathing that most benefits us is diaphragmatic breathing – the one in which we take air deeply, letting it enter through the nose and reach the lungs completely.
Benefits of deep breathing
Everyone has heard the famous phrase “it’s nothing, take a deep breath”. It is like a spell, like a magic word that generates a general well-being as soon as it is put into practice. It immediately calms the body and reorganizes the mind. This strategy would have much more benefits if we get used to practicing it daily. These would be some changes that we would start to notice –
- It will improve shallow breathing, also helps people with rapid breathing.
- It would improve the cellular metabolism of our body.
- We would better control stress and anxiety.
- We would sleep better.
- Digestions would be less heavy.
- We would experience less muscle pain, less headaches and migraines.
- We would concentrate better on our tasks.
- It would improve our posture and we would have less back pain.
Learn to practice deep breathing
People breathe on average between 12 and 18 times a minute. Our goal with deep breathing is to breathe 10 times in a minute. Of course, we will not achieve this with the first session, but little by little we will achieve this achievement. First, find a comfortable place to sit that will allow you to keep your back straight. Place your chest forward, relax your shoulders and rest your gaze. Now place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Inhale slowly and deeply over 4 seconds. Retain this air for 5 seconds and then breathe out loudly for 7 seconds.