Take a deep breath. Now let it out. Take another deep breath in, but this time pay attention to how you initiate the breath. Did you inhale through your nose or mouth first? Did your chest rise before your belly or vice versa?
Understanding how you breathe is a critical factor in your ability to relax. Many individuals are chest breathers, which means their chest tends to rise BEFORE their belly when they take a deep breath. They also tend to initiate their breaths with their mouths. Belly breathers typically initiate their breaths with their nose, which causes their chest to rise AFTER their belly. The latter tend to have a greater ability to relax, which will be explained below.
When initiating a breath through one’s nose (aka nasal breathing), the individual uses less chest and neck muscles to breathe compared to mouth breathing. This is more efficient due to less muscles being used. Also, we utilize our diaphragm to a greater extent with nasal breathing. The diaphragm is a big, dome-shaped muscle in our core that causes our bellies to expand when we take a big breath through our nose (aka belly breathing). To feel your diaphragm working, simply place your hand on your belly and take a deep inhale through your nose. Your belly should become bigger and fill your hand, which is due to your diaphragm working. Pretty cool!
In addition to your diaphragm, there is a nerve that passes through your diaphragm called the vagus nerve. When this nerve is stimulated, it causes the “rest-and-digest” part of the nervous system to turn on. This helps your mind and body relax by sending calming signals to all areas of your body. How do you stimulate the nerve? Simply by breathing through your nose and using your diaphragm! Super simple!
The next time you are stretching with one of our amazing therapists, stretching after one of our awesome workout classes, or are just overwhelmed, make sure you take deep breaths through your nose and use your diaphragm. Your mind and body will thank you!