Are you a mouth breather? Shallow breather? Hold your breath a lot?
Non-optimal breath patterns have been associated with a host of neurological, metabolic, respiratory problems such as sleep apnea, snoring, bad breath, tooth decay, lack of energy, digestive issues, neck pain… the list goes on. Learn more with this powerful interview by author James Nestor.
What can you do to make it better?
Hands down, the fastest, biggest and easiest thing to do: BREATHE, through your nostrils!
You get 20% more oxygen per breath when you breathe through your nose compared to your mouth… imagine what you could do with 20% more energy in your day?!?!
And, here’s a bonus trick… you can use your intentional breath to get rid of pain.
Step by step, here’s what a patient of mine did to create a new reaction to his pain, which got rid of his elbow pain.
Register the sensation of pain… your body and mind will have a pain. Notice what it is, pay attention to the body reaction to pain and the thoughts that arise from your body’s reaction.
Tell your brain to send oxygen to the area that is in pain.
Expect that the discomfort will begin to settle down and dissipate.
Smile and celebrate, that it’s working, even if it’s only a tiny little shift.
Continue the nostril breathing with focused intention of sending oxygen to the body part… until it diminishes.
Within ten reps, it totally worked for this clever guy and his elbow pain!
Back pain / stiffness / tightness can also greatly benefit from this diagonal breathing technique… check out the video for details 😊
I’ve Got To Tell You…
I am LOVING being a PT and psychotherapist. Changes in my patients and clients are nothing short of *awe*some. If you’d like to receive some support for both body and / or mind…
