Breathing. We do it everyday! We breathe in and out about 22,000 times a day.
Breathing not only helps your body balance carbon dioxide and oxygen levels, it helps calm and quiet your nervous system, improves gut health, and helps manage stress.
Your diaphragm is your primary breathing muscle. It is located at the base of your ribs and contracts and relaxes in all 3 dimensions - including forward, to the side, and back into the rib cage.
YOUR DIAPHRAGM AND GUT HEALTH
Your diaphragm plays a key role in digestive and gut health. As you breathe in, the diaphragm muscle contracts and lowers into the abdominal cavity, gently massaging the digestive organs. As you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes and returns back to its resting position in the rib cage. This up/down movement of the diaphragm helps food/water/gas move through our intestines.It also helps stimulate our vagus nerve, which helps RELAX our bodies and put our bodies in a rest/digest mode (which is key for our digestive system to work). Our bodies function better when we are calm, not all hyped up.
3 BREATHING EXERCISES TO TRY
1. Diaphragmatic Breathing
Lay on your back with your knees bent. Place your one hand on your front belly, the other hand on the side of your rib cage. Imagine breathing into your ribs and belly, 360 degrees. Slowly inhale through your nose as you fill your belly with air. On the exhale, feel everything recoil back to its starting position. Perform this for 1-2 minutes.
2. Square Breathing
Lay on your back with your knees bent. Place your one hand on your front belly, the other hand on the side of your rib cage. Imagine breathing into your ribs and belly, 360 degrees.Slowly inhale through your nose as you fill your belly with air for a count of 4 seconds. Then, hold your breath for 4 seconds. Then, slowly exhale for 4 seconds. And lastly, hold your breath for 4 seconds.This is the full square. Perform this for 1-2 minutes.
3. 4-7-8 Breathing
Place your one hand on your front belly, the other hand on the side of your rib cage. Imagine breathing into your ribs and belly, 360 degrees.Slowly inhale through your nose as you fill your belly with air for a count of 4 seconds. Then, hold your breath for 7 seconds. Then, slowly exhale for 8 seconds.
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