Take a Deep Breath

Sometimes during the day, I notice I’m breathing very shallowly, or even sometimes holding my breath, especially when I’m thinking about something stressful. I’ve also noticed that many people who come to meditation retreats or courses are not breathing freely, even during the mindfulness practice times when we rest awareness on the natural movement of the breath.

I recently co-facilitated a workshop called Mindfulness and Working with Pain. Several of the participants said they don’t find it helpful to hear the instruction in mindfulness practice to ‘follow the breath,’ because it felt uncomfortable and effortful. At another recent retreat, a woman said she finds it almost impossible to take a full breath without straining.

I found it really helpful when I discovered that consciously relaxing as I breathe in (which is a bit counter-intuitive, given many people only think of relaxing as they breathe out) allows much easier breathing. You probably already know that the diaphragm is a big umbrella-shaped sheet of muscle attached all around the lower edges of the rib case. On an in-breath, this muscle contracts and draws downwards, increasing the volume of the chest cavity, and therefore pulls air in. If our abdominal muscles are tight, the diaphragm will not be able to descend very far at all on the in-breath, and the amount of oxygen will be restricted. If the muscles are relaxed however, the belly expands slightly on its own, the diaphragm can move down further, the in-breath can be a little longer, and more oxygen can be drawn in. Plus, it’s a whole lot easier and more pleasurable to breathe in with a relaxed body!

This can feel a bit confusing, especially if you’re not used to it. If you find it so, you could try lying down with one hand on your belly. Bring your attention to your hand and feel it rise slightly to the ceiling, as if you’re taking your hand for a passive ride. (You can do the same with a book, or a teddy bear for kids!) This is not a forced movement, but an easy, gentle one.  Your belly will feel like a balloon, expanding gently on the in-breath and contracting again on the out-breath. The belly rising towards the ceiling on its own as you breathe in, and falling again as you breathe out.

So, often during the day, take a deep breath AS you relax!