Bad Breathing Habits – Savoia Self-Care

Happy Self-Care Sunday! What are you doing for YOU this self-care Sunday? I’m going to my usual Ecstatic dance and volleyball later this afternoon and probably enjoy an amazing smoothie bowl. I’m obsessed with them. Check out this recipe on my Instagram or Facebook.

Practicing gratitude can improve your physical health. People who actively express gratitude tend to be more engaged in activities to take care of their physical health, like eating well and exercising. This leads to higher energy levels, better sleep and a stronger immune system, or the ability to fight off illness or infection.

=== 🌸🙏🏽 Gratitude Practice 🙏🏽=== 🌸

What is one healthy food that you feel nourishes you and you love to eat? Next time you eat it – spend a few seconds and show it some lovin’ by expressing gratitude for it.

Did you know that the diaphragm is one of the most dysregulated muscles in the whole body?

Some people have reverse breathing, which is breathing from the chest more than the belly. Most of us are chronically over breathing due to lack of awareness. We are not using our full lung capacity and not regulating our nervous system. We’re not getting the important balance of oxygen, nitric oxide and carbon dioxide. The biochemistry of the body is linked to the breath, and also linked to the body’s intelligence to be in homeostasis. The more problematic our breathing patterns are, the more we move away from that balance, and the harder it gets to bring it back into balance. Other influencing factors for balance are the food intake and the quality of sleep.

If you want to observe incredible breathing, watch a newborn. They naturally practice deep, or diaphragmatic, breathing by using the diaphragm, a muscle under the lungs, to pull air into the lungs. Visually, you’ll see the belly expand and chest rise as they inhale air through the nose and into the lungs. As they exhale, the belly contracts.

For more amazing insights on the power of our breath, listen to episode #17 of the Self-Care Goddess Podcast with Steph Magenta available on your favourite podcast platform or directly on my website.

Over time our breathing patterns have shifted as a reaction to environmental stressors, like temperature, pollution, noise, and other causes of anxiety. Cultural expectations, including the desire to have a flat stomach, encourage holding our breath and sucking in our stomachs, further tightening our muscles. When we breathe in a shallow way, the body remains in a cyclical state of stress—our stress causing shallow breathing and our shallow breathing causing stress. This sets off the sympathetic nervous system, the branch of the autonomic nervous system that primes us for activity and response.

Long-term shallow breathing can seriously affect our health. Shallow breathing can turn into panic attacks, cause dry mouth and fatigue, aggravate respiratory problems, and is a precursor for cardiovascular issues. Diaphragmatic breathing, on the other hand, can lower blood pressure, reduce heart rate, relax muscles, decrease stress, and increase energy levels.

To practice breathing from your diaphragm, lie on your back with one hand on your stomach and one hand on your chest. Breathe in deeply while pushing out your stomach as far as you can. The hand on your stomach will move out and the hand on your chest will remain still. When you exhale, you will feel your stomach pulling back in. Both your chest and shoulders should stay relaxed and still.

Watch my YouTube Video for more details on how to avoid bad breathing habits with simple, practical and sustainable breathwork tips.

Connect with me for a complimentary introduction call here to know more on how you can transform your body with the power of your breath and learn breathwork techniques that can help you better manage yourself to lead a high-vibrating, thriving and successful life.

References:

https://www.headspace.com/articles/shallow-breathing-whole-body