Deep Breathing Methods?

[Stephanie]

Quite a few years ago, I read about deep breathing and how we, generally, only use a very small amount of our useable lung capacity. It gets even worse when we're stressed (as in my case - I have a tendency to stop breathing all together :lafhard:).

I like to breathe down into my stomach and continue outward until I can't take in anymore air. I breathe out with the same timing it took to breathe in. Rinse, repeat. :happy:

Does anyone have any techniques to offer? Anyone else a fan of deep breathing for whatever reason? (not just a fan of breathing, but DEEP breathing :lafhard:)

:grinhappy:

[kimberlily]

I do essentially the same thing. Bonus is that it came in very handy when I had my navel piercing and my tattoo done ;) It took my mind off the pain when the piercer poked me, and kept me somewhat relaxed during my tattoo. I use this same breathing method when I start a meditation, then when I've got my body relaxed and my mind quiet, I just let my body take over the breathing. I find that when I'm relaxed, my breathing is naturally slower and deeper than when I'm alert and focused.

[Delila]

I used various forms of pranayama back when I practiced yoga, but honestly haven't kept it up, and scarcely remember them.

I do know that if I can make my exhale longer than my inhale, I'll fall asleep much more easily.

[wonderlywroughte]

I try to do deep breathing sometimes, but I find that I really really have to pay attention to the exhale, or I feel like I'm suffocating and then start to hyperventilate and therefore mess up my whole deep breathing experience. :sweatdrop: Anyone else have this problem? I also get kinda lightheaded. Is the lightheadedness sorta normal or am I STILL breathing wrong? haha! :grim:

[jessie58]

I learned this method of deep breathing.
Nothing to do with yoga but I have found it very useful for upset nerves, unclear thinking, nausea spasms and being tense.

-Breathe in very deeply through your nose, filling your lungs to capacity to the slow count of 4.

-Hold that breath to the slow count of 16.

-Exhale through your mouth for the slow count of 8.

Repeat this until you have achieved whatever it is you wish to achieve, be it calmness of spirit, clear head, the passing of nausea, or relaxation.

Strangely I have used this technique for an upset stomach on numerous occasions and within minutes, the acidy stomach dissapates.

I have done this when over anxious and it calms me right down.

[lizzernog]

:sweatdrop: sometimes I forget to breathe out or breathe in.

Since I sing, I breathe very deeply with my diaphragm. I tend to count either when I exhale or sometimes I just count while I breathe because somehow I just feel more relaxed and centered that way.

[wonderlywroughte]

I do have an addition question...how does one breathe into the stomach or using the diaphragm? That may seem like a silly question but I have a feeling I may not be doing this correctly. :sweatdrop:

[lizzernog]

The best way to describe it is when you're lying down and you put your hand on your stomach and you can feel the rise and fall. That's what it is. Quite simple really. It's breathing with your stomach moving in and not and your chest/shoulders barely rising or falling.

[Clare-Dragonfly]

The method of pranayama breathing I learned involved switching nostrils. Hold your left nostril and breathe in your right nostril. Then hold your right nostril and breathe out your left nostril. Then, still holding your right nostril, breathe in your left nostril, etc. My yoga teacher had us do this for nine repetitions. It was both calming and energizing.

[Birchbark]

When I was practicing using my diaphragm I concentrated on the stomach muscles-- contract them and you'll exhale, try to use your stomach to push the air out of your lungs, and when you inhale, imagine filling up your stomach. lizzernog described the effects well, if you can feel your abdomen expanding then you're doing it right.

[kimberlily]

Clare, I've done that too. I took an intro yoga class that the instructor wanted to kick me out of because I was goofing off at the beginning and showing my friend how to do the tree pose and he said I was too advanced for the class :lol: Anyway that was the first time I ever learned that breathing technique. I still use it when I'm anxious.

Lizzernog's description of how to tell you're breathing right is bang on. You should feel your belly rise and fall. You don't want to breathe with your chest, but your belly.

[unaspenser]

I was in the University of Oregon marching band for two years (don't laugh, we're hardcore) and we did a lot of breathing exercises to increase lung capacity, diaphragm strength, etc. We used a metronome which actually really helped, but music might be a nice alternative.

We did one exercise where you breathed in to full capacity for 16 counts, then out to completely empty the lungs for 16 counts, ditto for 8, 4, and 2 (have you ever tried to take in your maximum amount of air or expel it in such a small interval? It's tough!). We would also breathe out for a set period to completely empty our lungs (say, 8 counts) then continue pushing more air out of the lungs in little bursts for 8 more counts, then we'd do it in reverse with breathing in (in for 8, little sips of air in for 8). It was very energizing and relaxing, even if it did make us a bit dizzy sometimes. I *tripled* my lung capacity in my time with the OMB (we had a machine to measure it).

In short, marching band is quite an intense sport.

[Stephanie]

Wow, unaspenser! Triple?! That's very impressive.

Great ideas! I'm going to try a few of the suggestions tonight. Thank you! :D

[hairyfairy]

You may read this (http://colveyco.com/gallery-annex/yoga/yoga4d.html)too, if you like.

[SunCat]

I started deep breathing when I started doing yoga several years ago. You sit and relax, if you can sit on the floor yoga style even better, right now I can't sit on the floor so I use my computer chair. Close your eyes turn your palms up to the sky and touch your thumb and index finger together and breathe in through your nose using your diaphram, your stomach should expand and take in all the air you can then slowly let it out through your mouth and your stomach will flatten. I do this several times a day it really helps with stress and makes me feel better. I close my eyes and just relax while doing this. Also the yoga Sun Salutation is a great deep breathing exercise.

[Stephanie]

Very interesting link, hairyfairy! I've bookmarked it.

SunCat, I love doing that. Works better to relax and rejuv me than a nap most times. :)

[Pegasus Marsters]

The way we were taught to use our breath to it's full potential was to run round the room, touch all four walls (it's a big room, lol) then lie on an empty patch of floor. Straight away you're using more air. Then we'd do a series of exercises based on making a breath last, We'd start humming, after a while hum and open our mouths to allow the breath out.

One trick which helps is to rest your hand on the diaphragm and feel the breath.

I've not practised this in about 6 months and was surprised how much harder it was to control the breath when I tried again.

[unaspenser]

Yep, I tripled it. An average woman's lung capacity is around a liter and a half, but mine was only about a liter when I started, probably because I'm a life-long asthma sufferer. I got up to three liters by the end. Lo and behold, when my lungs and muscles are strongner, my asthma gets better!

[Stephanie]

That is outstanding. AFAIK, breathing exercises aren't recommended by doctors to their asthma patients. At least not where my father and my friends were concerned... Would be a great idea.

[unaspenser]

Yeah, the approach was a bit unconventional. I'd always kind of avoided getting strenuous exercise because of my asthma, and how scared I would get when I'd get out of breath. I think it is definitely important not to go overboard and give yourself an asthma attack, but doing what you can to keep your lungs and circulation strong seems like a good investment to me. Since doing the OMB here (I'd always been a musician, so it seemed logical) I really got liberated about exercise and how important it is not to be ruled by my fears. Anyway, sorry to hijak!

[Teacherbear]

I have two different breath-work books: Conscious Breathing by Gay Hendricks (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553374435/104-0269329-9341538?v=glance&n=283155) and The Breathing Book by Donna Farhi (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&isbn=0805042970&itm=1). I like the first book the best. I believe Gay Hendricks was the first person to coin the term "breath work". Dr. Hendrick's book has a number of different breathing exercises in it.

I have a couple of different breath patterns that I consciously use. One is where I (kind of) push my belly out on the beginning of the inhale, then let my ribcage rise, then my chest/sternum. The exhale is the opposite movement, the sternum falls, ribcage falls, then the belly. I learned this one in yoga class.

The first breathing exercise I learned and used went something like this: Breathe in and allow the air to go into your lungs, then let it travel down your spine to your pelvis, scooping up from the spine, toward the front, into the belly. Then exhale in the opposite motion.

I am a shallow breather. It gets even more shallow if I am upset. There have been times when I was so upset that it seemed as if I wasn't breathing at all.

Once when I came out of surgery, I remember the nurse "yelling" (not really, it just seemed like it) in my face (all I saw was her face) "Come on, breath. We need you to breath." And I remember replying, "I don't want to." How creepy is that!?!?! <shudder>

Anyway, I also have bouts with asthma, which seem to be helped by breathing techniques. I keep my albuterol close by (when I think I'll be around some bad allergins), but if the breathing problems aren't allergin related, then the breathing techniques help a LOT!

Hm, I think I'm rambling now, but I think there was more I wanted to say, I've just been distracted a couple of times. So, I'll post this and come back to the discussion if/when I remember what else I wanted to say (and to see what others have to say).

GREAT topic!

:)

[Teacherbear]

I just saw these two CDs online last night. Has anyone tried either one?

Breathing: The master Key to Self Healing (http://music.barnesandnoble.com/Breathing-Master-Key-to-Self-Healing/Andrew-Weil/e/600835044523/?itm=1) by Dr. Andrew Weil
Meditations for Beginners by Jack Dornfield (couldn't find a link)

I'm looking this CD by Dr. Weil's and others that have his name on it, too.

Has anyone ever tried any of his Cds?