Optimizing Breath through Diaphragmatic Breathing: An Essential for Balance
The Start to Regaining Balance with Breath
As a CHEK Professional, the two most common dysfunctions I see are an inverted breathing pattern and poor abdominal wall coordination, both of which can have massive impacts on our ability to deal with stressors, low back/neck pain, overall strength and stability, and rate of injury.
In this post, I will help shine light on the major issue of improper breathing patterns, the mechanics of breathing and how to assess yourself to correct it. If you are looking for an all-inclusive guide on breathing properly, assessing yourself and practical breathing techniques/exercises, I am giving it away for free here!
The Importance of Breathing
For a number of reasons, such as balancing the pH, providing energy for our cells, and mobilizing our internal organs, proper breathing is essential to maintaining a healthy balance in the body. When compromised we will compromise by sacrificing other systems function for respiration, such as proper neck and spine alignment, hearing/balance, even total body muscle and joint function.
This can be seen on the CHEK Totem Pole that Paul Chek created, showing how the control systems of the body are aligned in a hierarchy, with breathing and respiration at the top. To learn more about the CHEK Totem Pole, click here. Therefore, it is imperative to maintaining a pain-free, healthy life that we address our improper breathing patterns if we have them, and practice the proper exercises to optimize it.
Learning to Breathe with the Diaphragm
When breathing correctly, only our belly and abdomen should expand in the first ⅔ of the breathe with the chest expanding on the last ⅓ . Paul has found that the majority of people today due to poor posture, increased stress levels, and mouth breathing display an “inverted breathing pattern”, breathing solely from the chest initially and even sucking in the abdomen, not allowing the diaphragm to function correctly.
When taking a deep, proper diaphragmatic breath, the diaphragm contracts, pushing the organs and viscera down into the abdomen leading to and expansion in all three directions of the abdominal wall - hence a belly breath!!! Unfortunately, most people have little access to the power of their diaphragm from lack of use and taking a belly breathing can even be uncomfortable.
However, with consistent practice you can learn to harness the true power of your lungs, diaphragm, and abdominal wall - effectively pumping your organs, circulatory and lymphatic system the way we were meant to!!!
The Belly Breath Exercise
First, we must lay the foundation to proper breathing and there is no better and simpler way than the Belly Breathe Exercise with a bottle. All we need is a bottle with some liquid in it, a clean space of floor to lie on, and a willingness to take a few minutes to better ourselves!
To start, lie down on the ground with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor in a relaxed position with the bottle on your belly button. The goal is to stay as relaxed as possible, and not to tense up the neck, shoulders, hips, jaw, etc.
Begin by inhaling through the nose, trying to only let the abdomen expand in the first ⅔ of the breathe thus pushing the bottle upwards. The best can then rise in the last ⅓ of the inhale.
Naturally exhale and relax. And BAM! You’re belly breathing!
If you are having trouble getting the bottle to rise or you think your chest is moving I have two tips: record yourself with your phone to get an objective view of your chest is moving or not or place your other hand on your chest to see if you can feel it.
I like to have my clients practice this first thing in the morning for 20-30 slow repetitions before they do their breath-work or abdominal bracing exercises. For a video of me explaining and demo’ing this - see below ;)
Hopefully you enjoyed this brief introduction to the importance of a deep, diaphragmatic breathing and how to do it with a bottle of water!
Up next!?!? How to use our belly breathe to prime the abdominal wall to function properly!