I constantly emphasize the importance of 360 breathing and diaphragmatic breathing for daily living & training and this is why:
My own personal journey to develop better breathing habits along with my education background and love of understanding the human body has helped me realize how essential it is to have proper breathing patterns.
Unnatural & shallow breathing patterns can affect your entire body:
• Your body is an interconnected chain,
therefore when we habitually perform shallow breathing patterns it causes overuse of the secondary breathing muscles which will create muscle imbalances and tension, as well as, pain and discomfort in your head & neck.
• This excessive negative tension and overuse of these secondary breathing muscles will also cause poor posture & negatively affect your core function.
• Stressed?! We also tend to use our secondary respiratory muscles to breathe when we are stressed out by using short & shallow breathes.
So what are our secondary respiratory muscles?
•Scalenes
•Pec minor
•Serratus anterior
•Sternocleidomastoids
•upper trapezius
•levator scapulae
If you notice you have chronic headaches, tension in your jaw, back pain, chest tightness, raised shoulders and/or poor posture then you might be overusing your secondary respiratory muscles and creating muscle imbalances!
How do we correct this??
Core training, flexibility & mobility exercises paired with learning to breathe diaphragmatically can help correct these muscle imbalances.
When breathing, you want to use your diaphragm and your transverse abdominus, which are your primary respiratory muscles, while relaxing your secondary respiratory muscles.
The more you practice 360 breathing the more natural it will come.
Benefits of deep breathing:
•increases oxygen flow which will help with tissue healing and recovery.
• help regulate your intra-abdominal pressure which will especially aid in core and pelvic floor recovery post-pregnancy
•help prevent Diastasis Recti, back pain, prolapse and hernias.
How can we fix our breathing patterns ?
Learn how to perform 360 breathing here!
Fire from your deep core
Don’t overbrace abs —> stop sucking it in!!
Maintain natural alignment by holding your pelvis and spine in neutral position.
Increase awareness of your posture
Decrease stress
Relax your shoulders, neck, jaw & face.
Release tension from your chest and back.
We can use these breathing patterns during any activity whether you’re sitting and watching TV or intensely exercising:
When you’re sitting and relaxing —> inhale down using the diaphragm and give a natural exhale.
When moderately exercising —> follow your that natural breathe to regulate that core pressure.
When exercise intensity is high —> you will need deeper inhales and stronger exhales.
Whenever I train a new client or someone has a question about core restoration the first thing I always recommend is 360 breathing! It’s best way to build that strong foundation and connect to your body.
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