Forget expensive supplements, the secret to better health may lie simply in the breath…
We don’t tend to give much thought to how we breathe — and we really should.
Leading breathwork coach, Anna Parker-Naples says: ‘How we breathe can impact everything, from how much oxygen we’re getting into our bloodstream, to our lung capacity, how well our organs function, how effectively our brain works, our response to stress and even how effective we are at removing toxins from our body.
‘For example, we’re meant to be able to release 79 per cent of toxins through our breath alone, yet most of us aren’t, because we’re not breathing how our body was best designed to.
‘In fact, of the 20,000 breaths we take a day, most of that breathing is dysfunctional.’
So, what can we do to start making positive changes?
Anna says: ‘The first step is to become aware of how you breathe. Is it mainly through the mouth or nose? From the chest or stomach?
‘By making some simple tweaks and practising regularly, you can make improvements to your health in as little as 8-12 weeks.’
Here Anna explores how…
The benefits of nasal breathing
‘Firstly, always try to breathe through your nose as much as possible. This is because when we breathe through our nose, it releases something called nitric oxide, which widens blood vessels and improves the circulation of oxygen in our body. Our nose also automatically filters out dust or allergens and the air is warming making it easier for our lungs to use.
‘So, while it’s never 100 per cent wrong to breathe through your mouth, we have that more as a secondary system. Breathing through your nose helps your body make more use of the breath effectively.’
First steps
‘Start by noticing when you’re breathing through your mouth and closing it. To take things further, and as long as your GP is happy, you might even try taping your mouth with micropore tape for 20 minutes at a time to encourage nasal breathing, gradually building up over time. If this goes well, and again your GP is happy, you could also try wearing the tape at night. Generally, it doesn’t take very long for people to shift to more regular nose breathing at night and after a little while you won’t need the tape because your body will know “that’s what we do now”.’
Exercises to try
‘The optimal breathing rate for the human body to work at its best is 5.5 breaths per minute. However, the average respiratory rate is between 12-20. This isn’t ideal, as the faster we breathe, the more we activate our stress levels, just through our breathing.
‘Thankfully there are some key breathing exercises which can help.
‘One is coherence breathing: Start with an inhale for three seconds and then an exhale for three seconds. Then after one minute, increase your inhales and exhales to four seconds and then five.
‘This type of breathing helps bring balance to the autonomic nervous system by engaging the phrenic nerve in a slow and consistent rhythm and stimulating the vagus nerve, which can help move our nervous system out of a fight or flight state.
‘Another useful exercise is short breath holds. This technique helps you to gradually increase your tolerance to CO2 in your system, which can help keep the body calm in times of stress or panic.
‘To try it, you simply breathe in and out like normal. Then you hold your breath for two seconds whilst pinching your nose, before breathing normally again for 15 seconds. You can repeat this until the body and mind feel calm. Then, as the exercise becomes easier, gradually increase the hold to 3,4 and then 5 seconds.
‘Finally, it’s helpful to ensure we’re always breathing from our belly not our chest, as when we breathe from our chest, we are taking much shallower breaths, signalling to our body that we are in a fight or flight state.
‘To check your breathing, put your hands on your lower ribs. You’re supposed to widen as you breathe and that’s how you know you’re doing it effectively.’
• For more info, visit influentialbreathwork.com