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Think of preparing to pickup that heavy bag of dog food, or groceries in from the car – in addition to engaging our back, hips and legs, we often instinctively take a breath in and brace the abdomen. Doing this fires the core muscles of the low-back, sides and abdomen, as well as the diaphragm and pelvic floor muscles. These muscles form a “canister” that encircles, stiffens and protects the spine.
Breathing in, the diaphragm should contract and ‘drop’ into the abdomen, causing the belly and lower ribs to move outward. This reduces pressure in the lungs, and air comes in naturally. When we breathe out, the diaphragm should relax and return to its higher position, gently pushing the air out.
A commonly found breathing dysfunction is just the opposite, called “paradoxical breath”: on a breath in, the chest rises, and the belly goes in, not out. We get air with this pattern, but it is inefficient and actually raises stress hormones. Breathing like this overworks muscles in the neck and rib-cage, creating pain while weakening the diaphragm and abdominals.
A great starting point for correcting this is “soft-belly breathing” (as opposed to what I call: “braced-belly breathing”, which we’ll cover another time): Lay on your back with your hips and knees at 90 degrees. Place a hand under your ribcage and take a slow full breath in, feeling the stomach rise slightly and the lower ribs to expand. When exhaling, let the air out gently and long, and at the end, a slight contraction of the ribs and stomach will add to the strengthening of the respiratory muscles. This simple practice can reduce stress and increase strength and ability.
John Huntington is a local business owner in Oracle. He is a chiropractor with many years in the community. He writes a health related article in Pinal Nugget.
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