Take a Deep Breath – The Importance of Effective Breathing

Breathing is the most basic of all human activities - but how good are we at doing it? Not bad if staying alive is the measure of our performance.

But there can be a lot more to breathing than just staying alive, as singers, athletes, newsreaders and others who have to be able to control their breathing will testify.

Most of the time we do it without thinking of course – and couldn’t function efficiently otherwise. It’s one of those many activities that we are able to perform automatically due to the wonderful ability of our body to work in close conjunction with our unconscious mind.

However, people who need to maximise their physical performance have to pay close attention to breathing technique – and all of us can learn lessons from this. For these people to be able to breathe correctly helps to conserve energy and maintain physical poise.

By just becoming more aware of our breathing we can reap enormous benefits - psychologically as well as physically. It is no coincidence that for thousands of years close observation of the breath has been central to many forms of Eastern meditation, particularly those practiced by Buddhists.

Gaining awareness our breathing patterns can be one of the most effective ways to help us achieve relaxation, calm and maybe even inner peace and wisdom, if we are to believe the ancient teachings.

Calming Effect

Just to be aware of the passage of air into and out of the body can have a calming effect. Give it a go for a moment. Become conscious of the passage of the breath as it passes in and out of your nostrils. Feel the peaceful effect of just ‘watching’ your breath at that point where it enters and leaves the body. Enjoy the natural rhythm. After all this rhythm is literally life sustaining.

Often for the purposes of hypnosis we will ask clients simply to imagine themselves breathing in CALM on the inward breath and breathing out TENSION and STRESS on the outward breath. Again this is something you can do at any time. As you breath out feel the tension and stress leaving your body.

Invigorated

The importance of the inward breath is something we all understand. On a trip to the coast, for example, we will enjoy breathing in the fresh sea air and will feel invigorated. But often the outward breath is neglected. Yet it is the feeling of the breath leaving our body which can be most calming. This is sometimes overlooked by people who use deep breathing to calm them in moments of anxiety or panic. The outward breath is very important in reducing our stress levels.

It is not always necessary to breath deeply to achieve a sense of calm – it is awareness which is all important. However, at times deep breathing can also be very helpful and this again is an ability which we all too often neglect.

Breathe Deeply

We benefit from this kind of breathing not just by feeling calm, but by feeling invigorated, refreshed and energised. The trouble is that many of us have forgotten how to breathe deeply.

To assist with this take a long deep breath in, counting slowly to five if it helps. And as you draw air in breathe deeply from your abdomen, allowing your stomach to expand like a balloon. Place your hand on your stomach so that you can feel it expanding.

Next hold your breath for a count of five to avoid light-headedness, then exhale for a count of five, pulling your stomach in as you do so. While you do this picture your stomach as a balloon which is now deflating. Repeat this exercise a number of times and notice how refreshed this makes you feel.