Breathing Techniques
High levels of anxiety can cause a change in your breathing and shallow breathing through the chest disrupts the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide necessary to be in a relaxed state. This type of breathing will exasperate the symptoms of anxiety.
The natural breathing technique is called Diaphragmatic Breathing (stomach breathing). This is the way we automatically breathe when we are born. When we breathe in we push the muscle down and our stomach moves forward. When we breath out, the diaphragmatic muscle moves back to the resting position and our tummy moves back in. There is little or no upper chest movement.
As we grow older many of us change our pattern of breathing and start breathing through our chest. This can be the result of a number of factors such as the pressure on women to have a flat stomach, certain fashions, poor posture, and of course anxiety.
Diaphragmatic breathing is intended to help you use the diaphragm correctly while breathing to:
- Strengthen the diaphragm
- Decrease the work of breathing by slowing your breathing rate
- Decrease oxygen demand
- Use less effort and energy to breathe
This correct breathing will improve the respiratory system and give you more energy, improve the circulatory system which eases the strain on the heart, strengthen the nervous system and improve digestion and the skin.
