I have thought for many years that deep breathing through the belly was THE way to breathe. The science doesn’t support this advice. Now, granted, breathing into your lower belly is much better than in your chest, Dr. Buteyko discovered that people breathe too often, taking in a larger volume of air than they actually need.
What happens when we do that?
When we breathe frequently and take in a large volume of air repetitively as most people do, whether they breathe into their chest (not so good) or their bellies (good), our carbon dioxide levels drop too low. When that happens, the oxygen we carry around in our hemoglobin doesn’t detach from the molecule to feed our cells.
Since reading Patrick McKeown’s book The Breathing Cure, I’ve told several athletes to try closing their mouths as they exercise. Miraculously, they all said it made a big difference!
In fact, one gal I was practicing martial arts with was huffing and puffing while we were playing, and I noticed her mouth open the whole time. I, on the other hand, was breathing calmly through my nose. I suggested that she try closing her mouth the next round, and she did. She said it made a huge difference!
Tune in as we discuss:
- Why it is harmful to breathe through your mouth
- One thing you can do at night to stop the cycle of over-breathing
- How you can “test” yourself to see if you are over breathing
- And so much more!
