Are you a Paradoxical Breather?
Find out Now & Cure it right away!
Let’s go ahead with the header: FIND OUT NOW!
Bring both hands on your belly. Breathe in.
Is your belly rising or falling?
Passive exhale, just let it happen.
Try again: keeping the hands on the belly. Breathe in.
Did you notice an expansion - a rising - or drawing back - a falling - of your belly with the inhale?
If there was an expansion: perfect, you can stop reading here (at least if you don’t want to educate within your circle of loved ones for healthy breathing) and you can jump right into breath-wellness and conscious connected breathwork!
If your belly draws back while you inhale, be encouraged, there is cure! Don’t ignore your paradoxical breath. Life is simply too short to not benefit from a healthy interplay of your breath with your whole body. Your breath is affecting all body systems. You want to run them smoothly, don’t you?
How does paradoxical breathing develop?
“They say” (with they I mean health professionals) that paradoxical breathing can occur through a weakened diaphragm function. I would say, paradoxical breathing causes the weakened diaphragm.
Rather the stress-sickness of our society leads to paradoxical breathing.
What do I mean with what? I mean the stress you experience in your every-day life - from the youngest age - has a powerful impact on the quality of your breath even so much so, that your breath reverses: which draws the belly in with the inhalation and pushes it out with the exhalation.
Stress in work, with family, financially - it simply provokes shallow breathing and a tensed torso; stress to fit into jeans and to fit into a certain beauty ideal keeps you drawing your belly in continuously; stress to not feeling and processing emotions will also create a tight and unnatural respiratory movement. You see, many reasons can lead in the long run to the paradoxical breath.
How can you cure paradoxical breathing?
If you find yourself caught up in paradoxical breathing, this is an every day practice for you - actually a few times a the day, every day for some time!
Lay down and put a book or pillow on your belly. It should have some weight so you feel the resistance of the book when you inhale and exhale. Concentrate for a few minutes solely on how you lift the book with your belly while inhaling and how it lowers while exhaling.
Inhaling pushing the belly out, lifting the book
Exhaling letting the weight of the book relax your belly down
It’s especially important to strengthen the diaphragm and to create new neuron pathways to retrain your breathing habits. Make it a consistent practice immediately after waking up and before going to sleep. Throughout the day try to remember again and again: inhaling belly out, exhaling belly in, you might be confused at times and mixing it up, thats all right. Inhaling belly out - exhaling belly in.
I am not lying here…. especially in the beginning of the re-training of your brain and the whole respiratory mechanisms will take loads of attention, effort and patience from your side. I was effected myself and it took me quite some research to understand what my condition is and how I can correct it.
The decision to take care of my breath health felt like an act of self-empowerment and I simply knew that I will benefit my whole body system for the whole duration of my life.
The “why” will help you also to keep you on track!
Why should you cure paradoxical breathing?
The paradoxical breath can lead to inefficient oxygen exchange, reduced lung capacity and might put increased strain on the secondary respiratory muscles in the neck and abdomen. (Who would have thought?!) Anxiety, low resilience towards stress, high blood pressure, can be other side effects of the paradoxical breath.
Remember, when it comes to breathing, there's no room for paradoxes – just a steady rhythm of air flowing in and out in its full potential.
Your breath journey is unique, and so is the support you deserve. Don't hesitate to reach out and discover how we can work together to make every breath wholesome.
For more insightful tips and guidance, stay tuned to our blog.
Thank you for breathing with me!
With love, Felicia