Here Are 3 Reasons YOU Need To Know About Diaphragmatic Breathing

  1. Low Back Pain
  2. Improve Fat Loss
  3. Heal Injuries Faster

What is the Diaphragm and what does it do?

  • The diaphragm is a muscle that separates you heart and lungs from you other internal organs and is the primary muscle responsible for proper breathing.
  • It attaches to the inside of your ribs and spine and moves toward the center of your body where it attaches to a tendon.
  • As you breath in, the diaphragm contracts and moves downward to allow for your lungs to expand in your chest cavity and take a a full breath.
  • As you breath out the diaphragm relaxes and moves back up to the starting position.

Why is it important to practice diaphragmatic breathing?

  • Relaxes the entire body and nervous system, where tensions and anxieties are held
  • Relaxes the heart, reducing blood pressure
  • Increases oxygen levels to our cells
  • Supports process of detoxification
  • Assists with digestion
  • Helps to reduce back pain by stabilizing the spine and core
  • Expand the working capacity of respiratory system
  • Enhance left and right brain interaction
  • Balances the level of acidity and carbon dioxide of blood
  • Clarity of Thought
  • Focus/Awareness

How does this improve fat loss and healing time

  • Improving the strength of the diaphragm assists with maintaining appropriate position of the spine and ribs.
  • Maintaining appropriate position of all of your joints is critical for having a higher metabolism
  • Higher oxygen levels in the body allow for a greater amount to be available for all activities including exercise.
  • Without higher levels of oxygen your capacity for exercise will be limited as so will your results
  • Your body runs on two things, oxygen and glucose. If you take out one you can forget about burning those extra calories for weight loss.
  • Increased oxygen levels provide more oxygen for healing injuries because without oxygen injuries will take a much longer time to heal.
  • Lastly, stress reduction that occurs with diaphragmatic breathing lowers stress hormones in the body that impede both healing of injuries and fat loss.

How to perform diaphragmatic breathing

  • Sit in a relaxed and comfortable position that is slightly reclined.
  • Place one hand on your stomach between your solar plexus and your belly button.
  • Place your other hand at the top of your chest.
  • Slowly breath in through your nose and into the hand that is on your stomach. Try to keep the hand on your chest relatively still. You stomach should expand as you breath in.
  • Once you have take a full breath in, slowly breath out through pursed lips like breathing through a coffee straw. As you breath out, gently draw your stomach in as if you are zipping up a tight pair of jeans.
  • Repeat 10x, at least 10x/day.

As you improve your awareness of the diaphragm you will be able perform this exercise without the use of your hands and in a variety of positions. Also, by incorporating diaphragmatic breathing into your rest during exercise you can improve the quality and decrease the time of your rest periods.

Hope everyone found this information to be helpful!

Cheers to your health,

Lynk