We breathe about 25,000 times a day but we are not conscious of it.
The frenetic place of our everyday lives makes us forget how important it is to stop for a moment and listen to our breathing, checking whether it is complete, deep and controlled or short, fragmented and shallow, the latter because it is adversely affected by negative thoughts, pessimism, anger or sadness.
Just like food and water, breathing nourishes us and this is why we need to learn to do it in the right way.
The natural way of breathing, which we were born with, is diaphragmatic in which only the lower part of the lungs expands while the chest remains calm, still and lowered. This enables us to relax our stomach and intestine, stimulating the release of the endorphins and proteins that make us feel well.
However, as time passes, often because of our lifestyle, this type of breathing becomes altered, becoming thoracic, meaning that it is concentrated on the upper part of the lungs which raises the chest.
In order to adapt to this more intense activity, our body is forced to raise the rhythm of our heart beat to increase blood circulation, raising the blood pressure and slowing down intestinal function, leading to the circulation of such harmful hormones as adrenalin.
A poor breathing technique, fixed at purely thoracic level, can cause the progressive loss of our ability to stay calm, to relax and be clear-headed, qualities necessary to cope with our daily life, and leaving us constantly feeling breathless.
This is why it is so important to go back to breathing calmly, taking long, deep breaths.
