How to Tell if You are Breathing Properly

Not many people realize this but they are actually not breathing properly. It might be hard to believe because everyone has to breathe to live but it is estimated that over 90% of the world’s population is not breathing properly. Here is a look at how the world is breathing improperly and why it could be very detrimental to their health.

Most adults when they breathe use the upper half of their lungs. The lungs are a part of the body that filter and make oxygen for your body. The problem with breathing with the upper portion of the lungs is that the upper portion does not create a lot of oxygen and that causes a person to breathe improperly.

Researchers are unsure why many people breathe with the upper portion of their lungs. If you were to observe a small child or baby you would notice that when they breathe their bellies move up and down. This is a sign that they are breathing with their lower part of the lungs. However, as humans grow older they move from breathing with the lower part of the lungs to using the upper portion.

If you are wondering if you use the upper or lower portion of the lungs all you have to do is observe your belly when you breathe. When you take a breath in does your stomach move into your body or away? If it is into your body then chances are you use the upper portion. If it is away then you probably use the lower portion.

This might not seem very important but breathing with the upper portion can create adverse health problems. The less oxygen that you consume the more fatigued you might feel and the less energy you will have. It is also believed that the less oxygen you consume can have a direct effect on heart attacks and strokes.

In order to learn how to properly breathe many people have to engage the help of a breathwork counselor to help them re-learn how to breathe properly.

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Achieving Peace with Pranayama Yoga

BERLIN - JULY 01: German-American yoga guru P...
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Stress is a burden that has plagued nearly every individual in his or her lifetime. There are multitudes of stress-reliving medications, practices and activities out there, but finding the right one can be tricky. But, for anyone experiencing stress, the cure could be as simple as breathing properly.

Yoga breathing can be a powerful option to help individuals release negative thoughts and energy and discover an inner peace. Known as pranayama, yoga breathing is the science of breath control that consists of exercises that focus on the body’s needs. Pranayama is a Sanskrit word that means to release energy from its bounds.

Because so many lead a stressful life filled with many responsibilities, individuals often fail to think about their breathing patterns, resulting in them taking short, shallow breaths. The body can become deprived of oxygen, and everything from sleep deprivation to heart disease can result. Even after the stressful event has past, the negative affects and poor breathing patterns will continue.

Pranayama focuses on taking deep, long breaths to engage the lungs. When the subjects inhale oxygen, their bodies are filled with an energy that reaches every part in the body. Exhaling removes carbon dioxide from the body, thus relieving it of toxic wastes. The balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide is attained, and the steady, controlled breathing helps the body, mind and spirit to become connected.

Pranayama has many benefits; it helps lead the yogi to a relaxed body and mind, teaches better self-control, and helps to develop better concentration and focus. Pranayama also helps subjects to fully use their lungs, so that the body can get enough oxygen. When the body has sufficient oxygen, the metabolism and health of the individual will begin to improve.

Pranayama requires special training, and should be practiced with the help of a professional trained in the breathing techniques.

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Filed Under: Breathwork Groups, Health Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Cost of Breathing – The Pros and Cons of O2 Bars

My "Bottled Water"
Image by dannyman via Flickr
It seems odd to see people sitting at a bar, with a noticeable absence of drinks in their hands but instead sporting strange tubes from their noses. It may seem stranger still to learn that these people, some of whom must be relatively intelligent, are paying good money to purchase the oxygen flowing from one of many colorful lit hookah-ish contraptions, and sometimes at a premium price. Money. For oxygen. Really? What’s next, bottled water?
The fact is that paying extra for something even the most corrupt gangsters couldn’t possibly corner the market on is a much more common occurrence than most people realize. But what is the value-add to spending hard-earned money on something that surrounds us everyday and is accessible for free, no matter who we are, what we do, or where we live?
The fact is that some areas of the world don’t have adequate breathing air and oxygen bars rose out of necessity more than fad. Air stations became popular in overcrowded, badly polluted areas of Asia including the downtowns of Tokyo and Beijing. However it was in Toronto that the first official oxygen bar took root in 1996. Catering to a growing numbers of fans, looking to try something new and inexplicable, the trend continued to spread throughout North America into bars, restaurants, malls, and spas in virtually every area from coast to coast.
Some claim that because oxygen is quite literally the end all, be all of human existence and the very lifeblood of life, too much O2 can never be enough. Proponents will only look to diminishing levels of air quality in most urban areas of the world and claim that better breathing will only lead to better health and wellness, and that purer oxygen, even taken in smallish doses, will do much to enliven the bloodstream and fight disease through a bolstering of the immune system. While this is true in theory, it remains to be seen scientifically whether or not oxygen bars make enough difference in the overall wellness of humans more than it does in hyping an industry with the “next best thing.”

It seems odd to see people sitting at a bar, with a noticeable absence of drinks in their hands but instead sporting strange tubes from their noses. It may seem stranger still to learn that these people, some of whom must be relatively intelligent, are paying good money to purchase the oxygen flowing from one of many colorful lit hookah-ish contraptions, and sometimes at a premium price. Money. For oxygen. Really? What’s next, bottled water?The fact is that paying extra for something even the most corrupt gangsters couldn’t possibly corner the market on is a much more common occurrence than most people realize. But what is the value-add to spending hard-earned money on something that surrounds us everyday and is accessible for free, no matter who we are, what we do, or where we live?The fact is that some areas of the world don’t have adequate breathing air and oxygen bars rose out of necessity more than fad. Air stations became popular in overcrowded, badly polluted areas of Asia including the downtowns of Tokyo and Beijing. However it was in Toronto that the first official oxygen bar took root in 1996. Catering to a growing numbers of fans, looking to try something new and inexplicable, the trend continued to spread throughout North America into bars, restaurants, malls, and spas in virtually every area from coast to coast. Some claim that because oxygen is quite literally the end all, be all of human existence and the very lifeblood of life, too much O2 can never be enough. Proponents will only look to diminishing levels of air quality in most urban areas of the world and claim that better breathing will only lead to better health and wellness, and that purer oxygen, even taken in smallish doses, will do much to enliven the bloodstream and fight disease through a bolstering of the immune system. While this is true in theory, it remains to be seen scientifically whether or not oxygen bars make enough difference in the overall wellness of humans more than it does in hyping an industry with the “next best thing.”

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Filed Under: Alternative Practices, General Discussion, Health Tagged With: , , ,