why do we need to be able to breathe deeply?

Breath is life. We can live for days without food or water but deprive of breath, and we die in minutes.

 With this in mind, it's astonishing to me how little attention people choose to pay to the importance of breathing correctly.

Most people have forgotten how to breathe correctly and do not see the importance and sheer value to their health to breathe well. They shallow breathe through the mouth and make little or no use of the diaphragm - either lifting the shoulders or contracting the abdomen when they inhale.

 In this way, only a tiny amount of oxygen is taken in, and only a small part of the lung capacity is used, resulting in a lack of vitality and low disease resistance.

 The practise of yoga demands that you reverse these habits. In yoga, correct breathing means breathing through the nose and keeping the mouth closed.

 Bad mental and physical breathing habits mean that many of us use only a fraction of our potential respiratory capacity.

 We all have heard we are what we eat, and food is fuel. 

The cells in our bodies break down the chemicals in the food, releasing energy and producing water and carbon dioxide as waste products. This is called metabolism, and this process requires oxygen.

The Physical Benefits of Proper Breathing provides sufficient oxygen for every cell's correct and efficient functioning in the body. Without adequate oxygen, the cells cannot metabolize food properly. Therefore, nutrients are wasted, and our bodies are deprived of precious vitamins and minerals.

 Deep breathing techniques help you relax, which in turn can decrease your stress levels. Also, taking deeper breaths can help lower your heart rate and regulate blood pressure. All of this results in a reduced amount of the stress hormone cortisol released into your body.

 With correct breathing, our concentration is improved, and we have better clarity and feel more precise in our thoughts.

 By studying various breathing techniques, we also see that we gain better emotional control and deal with challenging situations without suffering as much stress.

 Therefore we feel more balanced.

 I will be running a short course on learning to breathe better and improve your breath. 

 The course will run over 7 days, and it will be live online sessions for 30 minutes each day. These sessions will also be recorded, so if you sign up, you can see the recording should you miss the Live. 

 You will learn how to do a full breath to expand your lung capacity and help you to deal with stress better. You will also learn how to control a breath, plus a few different techniques to use when stressed. Click the button below if you are interested.