How breathing works and which mechanisms we use

HOW BREATHING WORKS!

It seems like something obvious but in reality the breathing is a rather complete mechanism formed by various actions, which we regularly do, some easily than others and other times instead we reverse completely the processes and end up breathing badly. Lets now see how our breathing is divided and if we realize when something works badly.

HOW BREATHING WORKS

We have different types of breathing:

Thoracic breathing: a type of breathing that includes the portion of the chest.
– Lying down with your belly up try putting a hand on your chest and the other on the abdomen. Breathe and listen: if the hand on the chest moves when breathing, while that on the abdomen remains stationary, then you are breathing with your chest. An accentuated movement in correspondence of the chest indicates a rather inefficient breathing (a slight movement instead, is completely normal).
Shallow breathing
– Lying down with your belly up try to place your hands on the lower ribs. When breathing superficially, a spontaneous expansion should occur in correspondence of this part in the inhaling phase and a slow retraction in the exhaling phase. If on the other hand you perceive that the ribs remain immobile then it means that your breathing is too shallow.
Breath-hold
– All those who practice yoga or almost also have bad habits in breathing and indeed holding your breath after inhaling is considered to be the most common bad habit linked to breathing (Attention: not in the form of an exercise). Those who hold their breath can feel a sort of “block” and can find it difficult even to exhale. This lack manifests itself particularly during physical exercise that becomes even more difficult. To reduce this block lets say you can try to relax the abdomen in the final part of the inhaling step.
Heavy Breathing
– Try and lie down and wait for a few minutes so that your breathing stabilizes itself to a more relaxed pace. Try at this point to quantify the duration of the exhalation phase comparing it to that of the inspiration. The first should be a little longer. If instead it is on the contrary then you are breathing heavily.
Breathing with the mouth
– Not everbody realizes when breathing with the mouth, this is obviously a bad habit. It is however easy to understand if you breathe with your mouth especially if you also feel some pain in your throat, if it is easily inflamed, and if we go through particular fatigue.
Reversed Diaphragmatic Breathing
– Have you ever heard of reversed diaphragmatic breathing? This type of breathing foresees that the diaphragm pushes itself into the chest during the inspiratory phase and falls back into the abdomen during the exhalation phase. Try to lie down on the ground and place your hands on the abdomen. The abdomen should flatten out slowly during exhalation and swell slightly during inspiration. If the opposite happens it mean that your breathing is reversed.