Focusing on your breath
can reduce stress, spice up your sex life, help you burn more calories, and
more.
TAKE A BREATH: For
something so basic, we sure do get it wrong sometimes. "Breathing is the
most important thing we do, but the thing we pay the least amount of attention
to," says Belisa Vranich, PsyD, author of Breathe ($11; amazon.com).
"Our breathing has gotten so dysfunctional that we think it's
normal," she says. Turns out, you can use a better breath to fight anxiety,
sleep better, and exercise harder. Here are situations where adjusting your
breathing can make a huge difference.
WHEN YOU’RE STRESSED: You're
in the middle of a work project, and it's not going well. You won't even notice
it, but your natural reaction is to take quick and shallow breaths, which
actually increases your body's stress response. "The fastest way to stop anxiety
is to slow your breathing down to about five breaths per minute," says Patricia
Gerbarg, MD, co-author of The Healing Power of Breath ($14; amazon.com) and
assistant clinical professor in psychiatry at New York Medical College. Breathe
gently and naturally without overfilling your lungs and without forcing the air
out, she advises.
WHEN YOU’RE IN PAIN: Whether
you've just stubbed your toe, you're nursing a splitting headache, or you have
a painful chronic condition, the way you breathe may bring relief. In one small
study published in Pain Medicine, volunteers who used a deep, slow breathing
technique had a higher pain threshold when their skin was exposed to a very hot
or very cold stimulus. Another study concluded deep breathing was ineffective
for managing pain in ER patients, but that the majority of those who'd received
instruction on deep breathing techniques felt it was useful.
DURING SEX: "Performance
anxiety, sexual dysfunction, and problems reaching orgasm can make people anxious
about sex," says Ian Kerner, sex therapist and author of She Comes First
($12; amazon.com). He recommends controlled mindful breathing, which can make
you more aware of the sensations in your body and track your sexual response.
To do it, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. You can even
count one-two in your head to help you relax. Need to take it up a notch? "I
encourage patients to imagine their breath going into their genitals," he
says. Visualizing it this way "can make you feel as if your genitals are
becoming alive and activated, which can help with orgasm."
FOR CONCENTRATION: For
those times that you need to hunker down and get into the zone, Dr. Gerbarg
recommends taking a few short, forceful breaths. "Breathe in sharply and
breathe out forcefully while shouting 'ha'," she says. (Maybe close your
office door while you do this one.) Aim for 20 breaths per minute but do it for
no more than 3 to 5 minutes, she advises. One
warning: if you have high blood pressure, avoid this type of breathing.
TO PRACTICE MINDFULNESS: Mindfulness
is a big buzzword these days; benefits of this meditation-like practice include
helping you control your emotions, bettering your relationships, and reducing
anxiety and depression. Mindfulness means slowing down and noticing the moment
you're in, whether that be the warm water over your hands while you do the dishes
or how gorgeous the morning sunrise is. Dr. Gerbarg suggests focusing your
awareness on your breath, paying attention to how it moves in and out. This
method will slow down breathing and enhance your sense of calm.
ON A RUN: "Breathe
through your nose and mouth," says Janet Hamilton, CSCS, exercise
physiologist at Running Strong Professional Coaching. You want to relax your
jaw so air can move easily through both. (If you use just your nose, for
example, you won't be able to take in the same volume of air at the same rate. "It's
like using a small garden hose versus a large fire hose," says Hamilton.)
This will deliver the oxygen to muscles needed to work properly and perform.
Without it, you won't go as far or fast. And don't worry about timing your
breathing to your footfall pattern, says Hamilton. You'll naturally fall into a
pattern that works for you. "Just relax and do what feels natural,"
she adds.
ON A RUN…IN WINTER: This
is one instance when breathing through just your nose can be an advantage. It
may feel more difficult or restricting at first, but it will warm the air before
it reaches the lungs, bettering oxygen consumption, says Chip Huss, National
Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Master Instructor. If that's too hard to do,
you can wear a scarf covering your face and breathe through your mouth and nose
as normal. Breathing in cold air can cause airways to constrict, so warming the
air can help keep airways relaxed, and the oxygen level in your blood stream
up, which helps muscles get what they need to perform.
AT SPIN CLASS: Learn
to breathe through your nose, then your mouth, advises Huss. But more important
than how you breathe is getting into an optimal position to do so. Make sure
you hinge at the hip (rather than rounding your back) when leaning over to reach
the handlebars, which will give your lungs the space they need to fill with
air. Obviously, you don't need those hills to be any harder than they already
are.
WHILE LIFTING WEIGHTS: For
best muscle power, inhale during the eccentric portion of the lift and exhale
during the concentric portion, advises Huss. Translation: let's say you're
doing a bicep curl. Exhale as you flex your elbow and curl up and inhale when
lowering the weight back down.
DURING HIIT: You
know those people killing it in the weight room who are—ahem—noisy breathers?
They've got the right idea, especially during HIIT (high intensity interval
training) workouts. Huss counsels clients in the martial arts breathing
technique called the "Kiai." "It's a method of generating energy
through forceful breathing with your diaphragm and pelvic floor muscles."
When you do a Kiai breath, inhale, and then on the exhale make a
"shushhhh" sound while letting air out of your teeth and drawing in
your navel. To put it into action, take the burpee-pushup. Do the Kiai breath
at the very bottom of the pushup and explode out into the jump. On a squat,
Kiai at the bottom of the squat while driving your heels into the ground.
IF YOU’RE PREGNANT: The
hee-hee-hoo-hoo way of breathing you've seen on TV shows might completely
backfire, worsening labor, says Vranich. "I have my client actors huff and
puff this way when they need to feel stressed for a role," she says. It
puts your body into fight or flight mode. Not exactly what you were going for.
During pregnancy and labor, practice cat and cow. On your hands and knees,
exhale and round your back up (cat). On the inhale, form an arch at the bottom
of your back with your tailbone tipped out (cow). Long inhales and exhales are
key. "This form of breathing keeps your and your baby's blood pressure
low."
DURING MEDITATION: If
you have trouble letting thoughts go during meditation, practice breath
awareness, says Dr. Gerbarg. Start with 5 to 10 minutes of "coherent
breathing" (or 5 breaths per minute); the slow breath will make it easier
to get into a state of meditation.
ON A HIKE: One
of the newest health spa trends? Forest bathing. The Japanese practice (called
Shinrin-yoku) involves visiting a forest. Breathing in certain organic
compounds from trees has been shown to increase immune function and reduce
stress. To make the most of it, Dr. Gerbarg suggests coordinating each breath
with a certain number of steps, which will relax your breath for an even bigger
stress-busting boost. Five breaths per minute is perfect for a leisurely forest
walk, she says.
AT BARRE CLASS: In
class, you'll do lots of mini pulses while in a squat or lunge, for example. It's
so important not to hold your breath—even if that's exactly what you want to
do, says Lina Belkin, Chief Training Officer at The
Barre Code. For example, take lunge pulses. When you pulse down-down-down, you
want to exhale-exhale-exhale. (The inhale will naturally come along). On
isometric holds, another staple of barre classes (where you are holding one
position until you shake), you may again hold your breath because you don't
know if you can keep going, says Belkin. Instead, during the hold you want to
inhale deeply, filling up your belly and then exhale by pulling your belly up
and in.
AT YOGA: You'll hear
the instructor tell you when to inhale and exhale. And it can take practice to
follow along. "Don't get hung up on the mental racket of 'I can't do this
breath thing,'" says Liza Pitsirilos, Co-Founder of WHEALTH, LLC and Pritikin
Longevity Center + Spa Mind Body Programming Leader and yoga Instructor. Rather
than trying to time your breaths, think about breathing into specific areas of
your body. "This is a tool for healing," she says. For example, if
you are having relationship problems, it may help to breathe through your
heart. Or if you're having a lot of anxiety and GI problems, you might want to
imagine breathing through your stomach.
IN A VINYASA FLOW YOGA CLASS: Vinyasa—or
flow yoga—is different from other forms of yoga because you are doing quicker
movements that "flow" together. Because the poses go so fast,
"most people go back to their habitual short shallow breathing because
they are in struggle mode," says Pitsirilos. So, slow your breath down and
pace your movements according to your breath. (One movement per breath.) Don't
worry about going the same pace as the class—what matters more is that you make
the most out of your practice.
AT PILATES: Some
people hold their breath just to bust out an extra rep, says Scott Danberg,
Director of Fitness at the Pritikin Longevity Center + Spa. "This
unsafe breathing practice will lead to a rise in pressure in the chest, which
can cause dizziness," he says. To do it
right, inhale whenever the movement "feels" easier and exhale when
the movement "feels" harder, he advises. You can use the technique
for ab exercises and stretching, too, he says.
IF YOU HAVE COPD: Having
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) makes it difficult to breathe. The
COPD Foundation recommends two techniques to get you the air you need without having
to work so hard. The first is diaphragmatic breathing, which we already went
over. The other is pursed-lips breathing: Breathe in through your nose for
about 2 seconds. Pucker your lips, and breathe out very slowly—two to three
times longer than you spent breathing in. Repeat.
IF YOU HAVE ASTHMA: More than 25 million
people (including 7 million children) in the United States have asthma. Asthma can't
be cured, and having it requires careful management using long-term control and
short-acting medications, avoiding triggers, and regularly checking in with a
doctor. Breathing exercises under the guidance of a trained therapist may also
help. In a 2014 review of studies
published in the journal Breathe, researchers concluded that learning fairly
simple breathing exercises can improve a patient's experience with the disease
and reduce their need for rescue meds. Talk
to your doctor about trying these techniques yourself.
BY: Jessica Migala, Health Magazine, October 19, 2015
Much Love, Dr.Shermaine,
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