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Introduction to Breathing

& Some of Its’ Implications

Breathing is one of our most basic/primitive functions, though not the most basic. Respiration is more primitive and occurs at a cellular level, but breathing is the form of respiration that we can access and therefore able to change. Our breathing pattern, metabolic rate, emotional state and therefore perspective of life and environment are all closely related. Although our breathing is essentially autonomic (automatic), we can exercise some control over it to retrain our breathing pattern for optimal health and/perspective. This can make the difference between being, thinking & acting, or just perpetually reacting to our environment & circumstance.

How we breath affects our entire physiological function, which equally affects how we think & feel. As we discovered when we were taught ‘prep technique’ - the physical state affects how we feel and vice versa. With current estimations of ‘stress’ related conditions currently standing at roughly 80% of all diagnosed disease. Do we really need to ask the importance of how we breath? Despite a huge body of research on breathing/relaxation and it’s beneficial effects on a huge range of conditions and well-being, modern medicine persists in treating only the symptoms. Whether we had an inappropriate breathing pattern at birth or acquired it along the way from physical or emotional trauma.

One therapy, appearing a lot in the media recently, is solely based on breath. Known as the Buteyko method it is expensive and primarily for the treatment of asthma, but its’ founder Professor Konstantin Buteyko blames hyperventilation for causing no less than 150 different diseases and symptoms, including allergies, insomnia, bronchitis, eczema, emphysema, high blood pressure and haemorrhoids. In other words, many of the ills that plague Western society are being caused by an epidemic of hyperventilation. By this he is not talking about obvious, overt over breathing, but more what is termed ‘chronic sub clinical hyperventilation’. This means it's been going on for a long time & isn't so obvious that it is easily spotted by a doctor or clinician.

Whilst I think Prof Buteyko may have got a bit carried away as the cause of so many disease, but respiratory dysfunction is a very common problem that likely contributes to a great deal of problems. On balance I would say that 'upper rib' breathing & breath holding ('stress' breathing patterns) are common problems.

The questions to ask are:

• Is the problem internal or external?

• Is it me or is it something in my environment that is causing the 'stress'.

This is often very difficult to answer when it's happening to ourselves and often we are able to identify things in our environment that aggravate the situation, but that doesn't mean that they are the cause. There is no shame in being prone to 'stress' - some things are more important than worrying what others think & worrying will only make matters worse.

It may be that our system is 'stuck' in 'stress' mode from some kind of physical or emotional trauma and this pattern has now become the norm or habit, that needs a little help in the right direction to it calm down.

It may be that we have become sensitive to something in our environment or a food substance that we have become sensitive to, that is keeping us tense, such as hidden allergy or 'sensitivity'.

The nervous system - largely orchestrates all other systems, such as:-

• muscular (tension, muscular shortening, fatigue, etc.),

• hormonal (over production of the ‘stress’ hormones, under production of ‘happy’/vegetative (repair & maintenance) hormones,

• circulatory (heart & peripheries),

• digestive (stomach & gut function), etc..

Blood acid- alkali balance, affecting:-

• nutrient carrying capacity of blood (gases, vitamins, minerals, etc.) to the tissues & organs,

• inflammatory response (in joints, soft tissues, etc.).

Posture

Overuse of the accessory muscles of respiration (i.e. pectoral muscles of the chest in ‘upper rib breathing’), leading to compromised posture.