It wasn’t so long ago that I remember being in a yoga class where the teacher decided that the first 5 minutes of class would be focused on breathing.
When I say breathing I won’t underestimate the difference from what my body was used to; i.e. a full inhalation expanding my ribs and allowing my belly to fully expand all to a count of 5 & then a controlled exhale for the same amount of time.
This led me to question… Why can’t I breathe properly? Why doesn’t my chest expand? Well, the truth is as a burnt out worker, my body had learned to take quick, short breaths keeping me at the pace of which I operated. When I later spoke to the teacher to question my inability to have flexibility in my chest to expand fully she told me that my diaphragm was definitely tight & restricted & like any under-used muscle I would need to train it for its full use again.
This became the start of my fascination around breath. As a coach that supports busy professionals to incorporate easy steps to gain back their health, I soon came to realise what I’d actually tapped into was what yogis all knew. The source of our energy is breath. Here’s why:
When we breathe we access fuel for our body through oxygen. The breath allows us, if done correctly, to fully oxygenate our cells & therefore provide direct access to energy.
Without oxygen, we die and therefore without a full breath in & out how can we feel in optimal health. It’s believed many of us use as little as 20% of our full breathe capacity when taking a breath.
We have learnt modern day bad habits that limit our breath, such as stopping our yawns, avoiding sighs ( which allows for a full exhale), breathing through our mouths instead of the nose which provides an excellent filter & also helps our body to understand it’s not under stress.
Through breath work exercises such as belly breathing, circular breathing, pranayama classes we can train these valuable muscles to self-activate so we can access a powerful source, the root to our energy tank!
So next time when you open your eyes & the fatigue comes over you, take 3 deep breathes into your stomach & access what your body has ensured you have access to, your own battery of energy.
Do share this article with anyone you believe would like the support to reach their health goals. You can watch my short video on my facebook page vlog
