Breathing… it’s something we all do every minute of every day. It’s is the most natural thing in the world, however sometimes a shock, or a pain experience or a stressful experience can alter our normal pattern of breathing. There have been many studies on breathing which show that poor breathing techniques are associated with poor health. So learning to breathe well is really important for general well being.
Good breathing has been shown to reduce stress levels; it can lower heart rate, it can lower blood pressure and it can take you out of an anxious fear fight flight state into a more calm and relaxed state.
One of the most common breathing problems we see is mouth breathing. The solution is pretty easy, you need to shut your mouth and learn to breathe through your nose!
Why is nasal breathing so much better for me?
Your nose is an amazing filter, it can trap dirt, viruses and bacteria and prevent them from entering the lungs. If you breathe through your mouth you have bypassed that filter and anything in the air sweeps straight into your lungs.
Your nose moistens and warms the air before it gets into your lungs.
When we nasal breath we also form a gas called nitric oxide which is fantastic for opening up our airways allowing 10-15% more oxygen into our lungs. That’s a huge difference!
Read our breathing exercise sheet for more information on how you can help your breathing pattern.
Or take a look at this ted talk by Patrick McKeown who helped his asthma by changing his breathing techniques and now teaches breathing all over the world.