by Catherine Driscoll
“When I walk into a room to teach a workshop, the first questions I ask are related to respiratory disease,
stress and anxiety,” says Diane L. MacDonald, founder of A Woman Alive, Yoga Alive. “How many of you are experiencing challenges with COPD, asthma or pulmonary hypertension? How many of you in this room feel high stress on a daily basis? How many of you struggle with debilitating anxiety five or more days out of a month?”
In most cases by the time MacDonald has finished this line of questioning, almost everyone has raised their hand. MacDonald then moves on to a breathing exercise. Participants are asked to shut their eyes and breathe. She asks everyone to take a nice, big long exhale and then a full, complete inhale. MacDonald notes that when she looks around the room, she sees chests lifting and tightening during the inhale. She notices people not being able to breathe for more than three counts on the inhale or the exhale. “And I always notice over half the room sucking in their stomachs on the inhale and pushing their bellies out on the exhale,” says MacDonald, with a smile.
More and more often these days, we hear people discussing the importance of breath to reduce stress and anxiety. And yet, as important as breath is, many individuals do not know the correct mechanics of how to breathe and are actually breathing incorrectly.
Correct breathing is essential for increasing the elasticity and capacity of our lungs, potentially supporting improvements in respiratory disease. It has also been found that correct breathing mechanics and meditative practices can help alleviate stress and mood challenges, such as anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
So how do we breathe? When we inhale, our diaphragm flattens and moves downward, and the intercostal muscles tighten and move the rib cage upward and outward. When we exhale, the diaphragm relaxes upward and the intercostal muscles relax, increasing pressure and forcing air out of the lungs.
“Take a deep breath and notice how your body is moving. If you are breathing correctly, you can feel your belly and rib cage expand on the inhale and contract or soften on the exhale,” explains MacDonald. “Additionally, try counting the length of your inhale and exhale. The goal is to be at a six count or more on both the inhale and the exhale.”
MacDonald then says to ask yourself the following questions: Do you feel constricted as you inhale? Is the front of your chest lifting on the inhale? Are you struggling to count to four as you inhale? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, MacDonald says you are most likely breathing incorrectly and may want to revisit the basic mechanics of breath.
“Once a person understands and practices the correct mechanics for breathing, they can consciously apply these techniques to a variety of breathing and meditation exercises,” notes MacDonald. “This will support more ease of breath and bring a person into a state of relaxation, which will enable them to relieve stress, anxiety and more.”
Diane L. MacDonald is the founder of A Woman Alive, Yoga Alive and co-founder of It Takes A Village Wellness. She is also a life transition coach, yoga educator, and runs workshops and does professional development. She can be reached at 631-403-4847.
