How to  BREATHE  Properly

When it comes to breathing people tend to fall into 2 categories:
????“Yo, I know how to breathe LOL” or “Where TF do I start?”

Got ya covered today. Other than Her Holiness Blessed Mother Sleep, this ONE practice has such major effects on performance in the gym, sleep, stress (and more) that it’s one of the first strategies I teach my clients.

IMPORTANT BRAIN BUSTERS

  • Most people breathe at 10-20% of their full capacity.
  • Heart rate, blood pressure, circulation, digestion, hormone secretion, mental & emotional states can be controlled, regulated, and healed through proper breathing.
  • ????Studies have revealed breathing practice to be an effective intervention for emotion enhancement, including reduction in anxiety, depression, and stress (Stromberg et al., 2015).
  • Studies have shown regular breathing to significantly increase attention and significantly lower cortisol levels (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PMC5455070/).

Are you nerds interested yet??? Good, now let’s go over 3 strategies to apply this wizardry!

PRE: WALL POSTURE TEST

????????‍♀️Standing with your back against a wall, pull your lower abs in and lift gently from the top of your head. Maintain this alignment at all times - will improve breathing plus prevent poor movement patterns & injuries.

STRATEGY 1️⃣1 : BOX BREATHING

Essentially tempo breathing for the 4 phases of our breath (note: avoid breathing into your chest).

3s inhale
⏸3s hold at the top of your breath
⬇️3s exhale
⏸3s hold at the bottom of your breath

[DOSE = 8-10 rounds anytime]

STRATEGY 2 2️⃣: NASAL BREATHING

Sitting tall, inhale slowly through your nose, feeling air inflate your lungs & belly. As you exhale through your nose, force the air out from your stomach (note: If you can’t breathe fully, you may need nasal irrigation like NeilMed - I do it 2x/week).

[DOSE = 2-3 minutes first thing in the morning]

STRATEGY 3️⃣3: PRONE BELLY BREATHING

Lying on your stomach with your head on your arms, inhale through your nose, expanding your stomach into the ground. Then exhale, pressing all the air out.

[DOSE = 2-3 minutes or 8-10 breaths at a time]

Let's return to health, together.