Self care. This phrase is getting a lot of play lately, and for good reason. It is good to be reminded that we need to take care of our needs, too. Many different things can fall under the description of self care. And that makes sense, each of us needs a different set of somethings to feel our best. But all self care rituals have a common denominator and that is relaxation or de-stressing. And I’d like to talk about the different ways we can use our own breath as part of simple self care.

Today’s post will be the first in a series about different breath techniques we can use to help care for ourselves. I love using my breath as a regular part of meditation and as a relaxation tool. How we choose to breathe can also help ease tension from our bodies and minds. The techniques I’ll be describing over the series are all techniques that I use myself and I believe in. These, of course, are not the only techniques and I definitely encourage you to find some that work for who you are.

But first, as always, science! Specifically, physiology. Breathing is not something we typically think about, which is why is it so crazy annoying when we have a cold or sinus infection that interferes with that process. To bring air into our bodies, our diaphragms, which are a large sheet of muscle that divides our lung cavities from our abdomen, contract and press down towards our stomachs. As that happens, it creates a lower pressure in our lung cavities. The lower pressure allows air to flow in through our noses and into our lungs, which also now have room to expand. As the diaphragm relaxes, it moves back to its resting domed shape. This, again, changes the pressure forcing air out of our lungs, noses, and bodies.

Aside from the fact that breathing keeps us alive, most of us don’t notice anything else. But we should be. Observing the patterns and features of our breath can give us a ton of information. And we can ask ourselves questions to help with this observation.

First, is our breath shallow? Most of us don’t breathe deeply. By that I don’t mean that we take in a lot of air, what I mean is that our breath never reaches into our backs or down into our bellies. It stays bound up in our chest cavities. The easiest way to check in with your breath is to find a comfortable seated or standing position where your spine is straight. Start by closing your eyes and placing one hand on your chest at the level of your heart. On each inhale feel your hand rise and your lungs expand. On each exhale, feel your hand fall or drop. Continue until you have a good feeling for the rhythm.

Then, move your hand down to your tummy just between the bottom of your ribs and your belly button. Can you feel your hand rise and fall with each breath cycle? It may be less pronounced than before, but you should still be able to feel that rhythm.

Now, take both hands and interlace your fingers pressing the palms out in front of you at the level of your heart. Bring your attention to your shoulder blades. With each inhale you should be able to feel them come apart and away from your spine. Your shoulders may also rise a bit. With each exhale, you should feel your shoulder blades return to normal.

If you aren’t able to feel the motion at your belly or at your shoulder blades, you may be breathing too shallowly. This is usually physical and typically has to do with either poor posture restricting the flow of breath or a lack of flexibility in the ribcage. Both of these are fixed with exercise, practice, and posture corrections.

Second, are your inhale and exhale approximately equal in length? Again, find a comfortable posture and take some time noticing your inhales and exhales. Inhalation is an active process, meaning that there is muscle input that makes it happen (i.e. the diaphragm contracts). Exhalation is passive. For an exhale to happen, it doesn’t need input from our bodies. As long as there was an inhale, there will be an exhale. As such, inhalation sets the tone. In other words, you can’t exhale air you didn’t breathe in (unless you forcibly do so, and then it’s not passive anymore). So by noticing any discrepancy in relative length, you have information.

It is important to note that length doesn’t need to be perfectly equal, just close. If your inhales are longer, you may need more oxygen. That happens when we are tired or have just worked hard (including exercise). If your exhales are longer, you may need to get rid of extra carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a waste product that our bodies produce just by living. Certain things can create a larger CO2 load, including exercise, that our bodies need to manage. Both of these are usually short term issues that our bodies fix naturally. However, if you notice that your inhales are always longer, it might be an indication of stress or tension.

Third, are you unconsciously holding your breath or restricting flow? When you are spending time with your breath, you should notice that your inhales and exhales are smooth and transition pretty seamlessly. If you notice that there seem to be long pauses between inhale and exhale, or if you notice rasping noises in your nose or throat, you may be restricting the flow or holding your breath unconsciously. This is typically due to stress or tension in the mind. Focusing on allowing your breath to flow naturally and relaxing the muscles in your throat and chest can help. In addition, give yourself some extra time to think through what may be bothering you and come up with some possible solutions.

Fourth, is your breath choppy, interrupted, or quick? Again, inhales and exhales should be smooth and flowing. If you notice that inhales or exhales stop and start in the middle or that you sound like you just ran a mile when you haven’t, these are signs of choppy breath. This is typically due to tension in the body. Concentrate on smoothing out the inhale or exhale as much as possible using your mind to help you count or label. Practice this for a few minutes as it may take time for your body to relax. In addition, practice this frequently as our bodies sometimes need to be reminded to relax.

Next up in this series, I’ll cover some labeling and counting techniques that can help alleviate some of these difficulties. In the meantime, keep observing your breath, it’s telling you a lot!

Until next time, be well friends!