Deep breathing: It’s a wonder, let me count the ways

Besides being a mental wellness coach I am also a massage therapist and let me tell you: people breathe terribly. All chest and neck, and no belly! And I used to breathe terribly too (truthfully I still do if I’m not practicing body awareness), but everybody’s breathing gets better with a concerted effort.

What’s proper breathing? Breathing from the diaphragm. It’s this muscle towards the bottom of your rib cage and really separates the top organs (heart, lungs) from the bottom organs (intestines, etc.). It looks like half a balloon and it wants to be inflated. Your lungs fill up better, your heart rate decreases, you feel calmer and less frazzled. It’s amazing!

A good way to become aware of your breathing and if it’s going well is – placing your hand on your tummy – if your belly is expanding with your inhale, it’s going well. If your belly is barely expanding, you’re still breathing with your chest and associated muscles.

My massage therapist mind tells me, all those headaches you’ve been getting could get better with proper breathe. Why? We’re human, we have some of the biggest brains, with a whole lot of processing power. We do a lot in our heads is the point. All that brain activity is sitting on top of some very well used neck muscles.

When we breathe with our neck and chest muscles we’re adding extra stress to an already overloaded system up top. (You add in hunched shoulders and lots of phone activity and it’s a wrap, your body gets angry here). And by angry, I mean tight and achy and annoying.

"Your lungs fill up better, your heart rate decreases, you feel calmer and less frazzled. It’s amazing!"

If you want to feel better, more relaxed, less anxious, and at ease? Breathe with the belly. It will make a ton of difference in your ability to stay calm during challenges, give you better workouts, and reduce your pain to boot!

Mindful breathe is the connection between body and mind. When you become aware of your breathe things change dramatically and for the better.

Breathe deep! And for the master ‘s Thich Nhat Hanh take on it:

"Breathe in deeply to bring your mind home to your body."

We get a little disconnected sometimes, breathing re-establishes your connection. Breathing can tell your body “everything is okay” without words. It’s a dope relationship.

If you’d like some guided breathing and help meditating, shoot me an email or schedule a complimentary coaching session appointment here!

Much Love Your Way!

Santee Blakey is a Life Coach and Licensed Massage Therapist at Soul Growth Wellness. When she's not biking, reading, or biking, or reading (she needs new hobbies, suggest her some:-), she'll be writing and enjoying a caramel frappacino in her favorite Starbucks (this is obviously pre-Covid) *sigh*. Follow her on Youtube for her series --> Self Acceptance: What It's Really Like (A Journey).