Inhale Rest, Exhale Stress – by Dr. Nick Araza

Life is Breath, so Breathe it IN!

To breathe is to live.

Without breath there is no life.

However, not all breath is created equal.

For those of you who have practiced yoga, you’ll know that there are many ways of breathing.  I want to focus on two – they are fundementally different in their effect on your physiology.

The first is common, but unnatural to stay in for long periods of time,which is troubling because that is the type many people find themselves in.  It is called chest breathing, and to no surprise, it is performed by breathing into your chest.  It is characterized by short or shallow breaths performed by the intercostal muscles (tiny muscles in between the ribs) that cause the chest to rise.  This is the fastest way to breathe, the way you would want to breathe if you were under attack (stress).  This type of breathing triggers the sympathetic nervous system, what is crucial in fight or flight.  However, humans are only designed to be in a stressful state for short periods – really, only long enough to get out of the stressful situation (change our environment to a more hospitable one).  Nowadays we find ourselves in chronic stress with deadlines to meet, families to run, children to constantly monitor, and very little community support or movement** to deal with that stress.

That is why I want to talk to you about diaphragmatic breathing.  This is a completely different way to get oxygen to your cells from a physiological standpoint.  This breathing is slow and deep, and it causes your belly to push out, rather than your chest to rise up.  It is done by a muscular umbrella at the bottom of your ribcage that pulls air in and gently massages your internal organs in a rhythmic way.  This is the way children breathe.  This is the way you are supposed to breathe most of the time.  This triggers the parasympathetic nervous system for rest and repair.  Plus it feels great.

How to breathe diaphragmatically:

1.  Assume Proper Posture /Stand (or sit up) straight and drop your shoulders back and down (lift your heart to 45 degrees).

2.  Inhale slowly through your nose, while trying to get the air down as far as possible into your belly (your belly will push out – that is normal).

3.  Pause for a second or less.

4.  Exhale slowly through the nose (2 x longer than inhalation).

5.  Repeat 5-10 times.

6.  Do this every hour and feel the stress fall away.

Always do this before you lie down to sleep and before you eat.   These activities require a predominantly parasympathetic nervous system activity.

Breathe 4 Health!

Dr. Nicholas Araza DC CCWP

** To learn more about Movement, join Drs. Ryan Hewitt and Nick Araza on Feb 24th at 6:30 p.m., here in the Cummings Center 100 building, Suite 135A.  They’ll be joined by trainers from 4 local gyms for an awesomely huge workshop on movement called “Get Moving.”

Call 978-927-8466 to hold your spot.  SEE YOU THERE!!