Breathing Escape the Shallows ~ by Laurette Willis, CHC PraiseMoves Fitness The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life (Job 33:4). Oxygen is the most vital nutrient for our body s survival. We can go for weeks without food, days without water, but only a few minutes without oxygen. Unfortunately most of us are shallow upper chest breathers who breathe in only enough air to barely fill the upper part of the lungs. At the doctor s office when asked to take a deep breath, most people s upper chest expands and their shoulders come up around their ears. Babies and young children are belly breathers, meaning they naturally fill the lower part of the lungs with air. Singers, actors and professional speakers are usually taught deep diaphragmatic breathing for better vocal projection. That is how I re-learned to be a belly breather in my early 20s. Athletes and those interested in fitness, stress relief, or overcoming anxiety learn this type of breathing for better performance and relaxation. Wonder which type of breather you are? Try this experiment. Sitting up straight, put your hand on your abdomen. Now breathe in. Did your abdomen go in or out? If your abdomen went in on the inhale, you re only filling the upper part of your lungs. If your belly relaxed and expanded on the inhale, you are breathing from the diaphragm as voice teachers say. The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscular wall between the ribcage and the abdomen. When we breathe deeply, the diaphragm moves farther down in the abdomen, helping the lungs expand more fully in the chest. When you ve seen drawings of the lungs you may have noticed that they are larger at the bottom than at the top. Deep diaphragmatic breathing allows more oxygen to be taken in and more carbon dioxide released with each breath. Breathing: Escape the Shallows by Laurette Willis, CHC www.praisemoves.com 1 P a g e
At some point during childhood most of us switched from relaxed diaphragmatic breathing to shallower and more stressful chest breathing. Short, shallow breaths are one of the ways our bodies respond to fear or stress. This response is part of what endocrinologist Hans Selye called the fight or flight syndrome. If these quick, shallow breaths are the norm, we may be breathing too fast most of the time and holding our breaths in stressful situations. In a society where pressures involving time, family, finances, health, work even traffic are commonplace, a fight or flight response takes its toll. If we lived several thousand years ago, this flight or flight syndrome would enable us to respond quickly to danger. Shallow chest breathing would prepare us to run from a predator or fight a hostile enemy. This type of breathing causes tension, while gentle deep breaths bring relaxation. Upper chest breathing requires more breaths per minute than abdominal breathing. Your heart is forced to work harder, blood pressure rises and metabolism slows down making weight loss more difficult. If you are accustomed to breathing shallowly, you may be operating at only a fraction of your potential by filling only one-quarter to one-fifth of your lungs with oxygen. Since the lungs are designed to remove toxins, stale air remaining in the lungs can leave poisons which slow the body down. While the average pair of lungs can hold almost two gallons of air, most people are taking in no more than two to three pints of air with each breath. If you are not breathing sufficient amounts of oxygen, the cells are not receiving the fuel they need to produce energy, burn fat, increase metabolism, bring mental clarity and get rid of toxins. Result: low energy, low metabolism, mental fatigue and weight gain. Breathing: Escape the Shallows by Laurette Willis, CHC www.praisemoves.com 2 P a g e
Straighten Up and Breathe Right Enunciate! Louder! Rrrrrring! Dr. Dillard would yell from the back of the theatre. As a young college student studying drama, I frequently had to be reminded to project my voice. Stop slumping over! Shoulders back! Dr. D. would remind me. I was a shallow breather. Being self-conscious about my overweight body, I rarely stood up straight (even though my mother taught me better than that!). Hunching my shoulders forward collapsed the lungs slightly, causing even more shallow breathing. Vocal projection was minimal and I couldn t be heard beyond the third row. Breathing and vocal exercises along with Dr. D s frequent reminders paid off. I learned how to breathe correctly and project my voice from the diaphragm as all singers and actors are taught to do. Amazingly this became second nature and I have been an abdominal breather for more than 25 years. You can learn to breathe this way naturally, too. Waiting to Inhale Sit comfortably straight in a chair and loosen any tight or restrictive clothing. Place one hand on your abdomen just above your navel. Place your other hand on your upper chest just below your collar bone. Inhale deeply through your nose and try to gently make the hand on your abdomen move. You want your belly to expand like a balloon with air. Relax your abdomen. Your upper hand should move only slightly on the deepest part of the inhalation, gently filling the upper part of the lungs with air after the lower part of the lungs are filled. Exhale gently through the nose. This is considered a complete deep diaphragmatic breath. Don t worry if you don t catch on right away. It takes practice. Breathing: Escape the Shallows by Laurette Willis, CHC www.praisemoves.com 3 P a g e
Here s another way to learn to do a complete breath naturally: Lie down on the bed or the floor and place a book on your abdomen. As you inhale, make the book rise with each inhale. In drama classes, progressively heavier books were added to strengthen our ability to breathe from the diaphragm. After doing this a few times, close your eyes and relax even more. Try breathing in for a count of four, hold for a count of two, and then exhale to a count of four. Become aware of any tension in your body and focus on gently releasing the tension. There s nothing weird or new-agey about relaxing our bodies. I had been concerned about that shortly after becoming a Christian. Some of the yoga practices I had learned involved deep relaxation techniques that I now know invite demonic activity. Breathing in certain energies (a technique called pranayama) and astral projection (traveling outside the body) were part of my life before Christ. As Christians, the Holy Spirit lives within us, so we cannot become possessed by demonic forces, but we can become oppressed by them. Believe me; dabbling in the occult is major scary stuff which God calls an abomination. i Have you been involved in things such as I ve been describing? Right now if you feel a check in your spirit or a tug at your heart that you may be guilty of this, ask for God s forgiveness. Please don t wait until later. Repeat after me: Heavenly Father, Your word says in 1 John 1:9 that if I confess my sins to You, You are faithful and just to forgive me of my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Father, right now I confess and ask You to forgive me as You said You would. I repent of it. I turn away from it and I turn completely to you. Now Father, please wash me clean, cleansing me from all unrighteousness. I receive complete cleansing this very moment from You in spirit, soul Breathing: Escape the Shallows by Laurette Willis, CHC www.praisemoves.com 4 P a g e
and body. Thank You for giving me a brand new start! I refuse to look back, but I look forward and walk on in victory with You in Jesus name. Amen. We Discipline Our Bodies The apostle Paul said, But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should be come disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:27). Eating right, exercise and taking control of the flesh are all ways we discipline the body. Helping the body relax and operate more efficiently also takes discipline. Some of the benefits of abdominal breathing include: increased energy reduced mental and physical fatigue possible relief from long-term respiratory difficulties such as asthma and bronchitis elimination of toxins improved blood circulation increased supply of oxygen and nutrients to cells throughout the body increased oxygen to the brain aiding relaxation and mental clarity increased endurance clearer, more radiant complexion sound sleep (whenever I ve had trouble sleeping, gentle deep breathing has helped my body relax, allowing me to fall right off to sleep) relief from tension since shallow breathers are more prone to depression, deep breathing can offer relief some studies show deep breathing helps relieve menopause-related hot flashes Breathing: Escape the Shallows by Laurette Willis, CHC www.praisemoves.com 5 P a g e
during stretching postures (like PraiseMoves) deep breathing helps to gently stretch connective tissue, thus increasing flexibility; postures are held for three to five breaths with each breath taking approximately ten seconds each if recovering from an illness or injury, diaphragmatic breathing can partially compensate for lack of exercise control: instead of that unplanned snack, take ten complete breaths instead; you will probably notice the desire to eat has passed I have taught students of mine over the years this breathing technique and have received reports of increased relaxation, clearer thinking, better performance on tests and interviews, and relief from stage fright. Deep breathing like this can be done anywhere. Instead of tensing up because of the long line at the supermarket, practice your breathing techniques instead. No one will notice, but they may marvel at your stunning sense of calm! Breathing Exercises I would recommend staying away from breathing exercises that advocate harsh, forceful inhales and/or exhales. These are common in the yogic pranayama breathing technique designed to elevate consciousness. As Christians we have the mind of Christ, ii so any elevation of consciousness we try to force through physical means is not of God. There is no higher mind available anywhere than the mind of Christ! Steer clear of techniques that advocate saying words you don t understand on the exhale. Mantras are repetitive Hindu words associated with demonic spiritual activity (been there, done that, got the tee-shirt and burned it!). These might be low melodic mind-numbing sounds or Breathing: Escape the Shallows by Laurette Willis, CHC www.praisemoves.com 6 P a g e
harsh, explosive sounds. They are there for a reason. They are not harmless sounds. Hey, if you don t want the dog, don t call for him. Likewise if you don t want the devil, don t call for him by saying words tied to demonic activity. Sometimes I ve been known to exhale a relaxing, joyous Hallelujah or Amen at the end of a breath, but not repetitively. Jesus warned against mindless repetition of words as the heathen do. iii Now, if you are taking acting or singing lessons that s a different matter. We were often told to say silly things or make funny noises to loosen up and train our voices. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers is nothing to be feared (unless of course you are Mrs. Peter Piper because a peck of pickled peppers is a lot of peppers to prepare!). I advocate breathing techniques that are purely for physical benefit and relaxation purposes. God gave you your breath. In Genesis 2:7 we see God breathed into Adam. God s breath enabled Adam to have a spirit and gave him life. God s breath is what made the dust of the earth a living, breathing spirit-man made in the image of God. As you do these exercises, make sure you are breathing into the lower part of the lungs first. You may want to keep one hand on your abdomen when you start to help remind you. Loosen any tight clothing that may keep you from breathing deeply into the abdomen. The Easy-Does-It Breath You may do this exercise standing, sitting or lying down. 1. Inhale deeply to a slow count of three. 2. Gently hold your breath to a count of three. 3. Exhale to a count of three. Breathing: Escape the Shallows by Laurette Willis, CHC www.praisemoves.com 7 P a g e
4. Repeat three or four times. 5. When this feels comfortable, increase each step by one (inhale to count of four, hold for four and exhale to a count of four). The Expansive Breath With practice, you can increase your lung capacity with this exercise. Opera singers and athletes may take in as much as 17 pints of air with one breath, while shallow breathers take in only two or three pints. Let s expand our capacity! 1. Stand up straight and relaxed (this exercise may also be done sitting or lying down). Loosen any tight clothing which may inhibit deep breathing. 2. Take a slow, deep breath to the count of three. 1 2 3 3. Gently hold your breath for the count of twelve. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 4. Gently exhale for the count of six. 1 2 3 4 5 6 5. Repeat. The ratio of 1 4 2 remains constant. You hold the breath four times longer than the inhale. The exhale is twice as long as the inhale. Make sure you are breathing into the abdomen first, and then allowing the ribcage to expand and chest to rise slightly. Holding your breath extends the time for your lungs to exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide, allowing your blood to become more oxygenated. When that ratio becomes comfortable, try 4 16 8 and then 5 20 10. If it s easier for you, start with 2 8 4. Remember, go gently with yourself. We are coaxing the body to Breathing: Escape the Shallows by Laurette Willis, CHC www.praisemoves.com 8 P a g e
breathe more fully. It s not a forceful procedure. The complete exhale enables the lungs to rid themselves of toxins more effectively. As you become more conscious of your breathing and relaxing your body, you may notice situations that used to tie your stomach up in knots, tighten your neck muscles and turn your shoulders into earrings no longer disturb you as they once did. You may take a gentle deep breath in, cast your cares on the Lord, tell your body to relax and your soul to hope in God as David did. iv Everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150:6) Bringing it Home In Breathing Escape the Shallows I learned: 1. 2. 3. Something I can start doing differently (better) today: Lord, I ask You to help me to: Breathing: Escape the Shallows i Deuteronomy 18:9-14 ii 1 Corinthians 2:16 iii Matthew 6:7 iv Psalm 42:11 Breathing: Escape the Shallows by Laurette Willis, CHC www.praisemoves.com 9 P a g e