Shallow breathing is part of a pattern of postural and movement habits that we start imitating when we are infants.
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Probably only the liveliest people are breathing well: effective athletes, martial artists, dancers and actors, and people who belly laugh a lot. Good breathing and a flexible pot belly are associated with enlightenment!Įnlightenment aside, good breathing is generally associated with vitality (as well as some other unusual phenomena 8 ). The way in which the belly sticks out during healthy inhalation can be seen in most statuary of the Buddha. 7 So good breathing is described as “belly breathing,” “abdominal breathing,” or “diaphragmatic breathing.” The buddha’s belly When your diaphragm moves, your belly must move - if it doesn’t move, you simply aren’t using your diaphragm.
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When you inhale with your diaphragm, your belly expands. They go outwards! The abdominal contents are forced down and out. (It’s also a risk-factor for chronic pain independently, 5 so that’s a double whammy.) More examples ahead … The hydraulics of respiration Perhaps the best example is smoking: obvious, common, and preventable. Anything that makes breathing more difficult could provoke over-use of the scalenes and other accessory breathing muscles. Why would we ask such unsuitable muscles to work too hard in the first place? Why would we ever breathe dysfunctionally? That just can’t be good! She was no more able to change it than I can wiggle my ears. I recall one client who seemed particularly incapable of breathing with her diaphragm with each inhalation, she clenched her scalene muscle group so tightly that cords of muscle stood out in her neck, while her abdomen remained still. Some seemed unable to make the change at all, their scalene muscles obviously contracting with every breath, no matter how much they put their minds to it. 4 Most were able to stop doing this on request, but only when they focused. About three quarters of my massage therapy clients 3 seemed to be trying to lift their rib cages with muscles in the upper chest and throat. If this occurs, it could trigger a cascade of uncomfortable consequences over time. 2 Unfortunately, these muscles aren’t built for routine respiration, and they get exhausted and tender (more on how this works below). If it exists, the connection between dysfunctional breathing and pain is straightforward in principle: if the diaphragm doesn’t do its job well, muscles in the upper chest (pectoralis minor) and throat (sternocleidomastoid and scalenes) will try to help out. The connection between dysfunctional breathing and upper body pain
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#MILD UPPER CHEST DISCOMFORT WHEN BREATHING SERIES#
This article will trace a series of unproven but plausible connections 1 between respiratory dysfunction and a constellation of painful upper body conditions: from garden variety stiffness to seemingly unlikely and severe consequences such as rotator cuff injuries, whiplash, and thoracic outlet syndrome. The breathing exercises that might help are tedious and unappealing, but they are worthwhile regardless of whether or not they actually solve any painful problems. Problems like chronic headaches, numb and tingling hands, neck pain, or upper back pain might actually be caused by a respiratory issue. Many common aches and pains, particularly around the head, neck and shoulders, may be caused in part by inefficient breathing.