Taking a deep, oxygenating breath is more important than ever.
Viruses, pollution, chemicals, dust: Our lungs are constantly under attack. For people with chronic lung disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, strong breathing muscles are crucial to keeping the blood oxygenated, but they’re not the only ones who can benefit from better breathing.
Deep breathing reduces anxiety, which has become commonplace in the United States. Even the conventional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged the populace to “take deep breaths” to reduce anxiety and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. That advice can even strengthen your immune system during stressful times: Researchers from the University of Texas-Houston taught deep breathing and other relaxation techniques to 49 women with newly diagnosed breast cancer and saw
a significant increase in the activity of natural killer cells,
a type of white blood cell that is part of the immune
system, and other virus-killing immune components.
Stronger breathing muscles and deeper breaths are fundamental to good health. Studies show that they can help to lower blood pressure, ease back pain, banish insomnia, sharpen memory and focus, and resolve digestive problems like heartburn, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Poor breathing technique
Most of us are under-breathers: We don’t have the strong breathing muscles that allow us to take consistently deep, oxygenating breaths. It’s likely that your breathing muscles are weak and constricted if you’re under chronic stress or anxiety; spend a lot of time in front of a computer or texting; sit for many hours a day; or routinely carry a heavy purse, bag, or knapsack. Former smokers, people who live with smokers, or those who live in polluted cities are at risk, as are people who snore, carry extra abdominal weight, or have a history of nose or lung issues, allergies, sinus problems, or even neck, shoulder, or back injuries.
Breathing basics
The main muscle that controls breathing is the diaphragm, a pizza-sized, parachute-shaped muscle at the bottom of your rib cage that flattens and spreads when you breathe properly. The intercostals—the muscles between the ribs—are also vital to breathing. Other muscles used during breathing include those on either side of your spine (erector spinae), the muscles that flank your abdomen (transverse abdominis), and your pelvic floor muscles, which form a kind of sling or hammock at the base of your torso.
When those muscles are weak, other muscles must step in to help: Shoulder muscles move up when you inhale and down when you exhale, and neck muscles tense during inhalation. But those muscles aren’t built for the job, and they don’t allow you to take full, deep breaths.
The four-exercise fix
While cardio exercises like brisk walking, biking, and jogging make you breathe more heavily, they don’t actually help your breathing muscles (though they are wonderful for your heart). You can strengthen the breathing muscles only when your body is relatively motionless.
The following exercises, done for less than 20 minutes each day, will strengthen all of your breathing muscles so that you can take deeper, deeply oxygenated breaths.
Rock and roll. Sit in a chair or cross-legged on the floor. If you’re sitting on a chair, don’t lean back. If you’re on the floor, make sure you’re seated on a blanket or pillow.
On the inhale, expand your belly as you lean forward. If you’re very thin, you may have to push your belly out to get the right posture in the beginning. If you’re heavier around the middle, think of releasing your belly or putting it in your lap.
On the exhale, lean back as if you were slumping on a couch. Contract your belly, narrowing your waist, and exhale until your lungs are completely empty. Every time you move your belly, you’re actually teaching your diaphragm to activate when you breathe.
Do 20 repetitions.
Diaphragm extensions. Lie down on your back. Place a large book (or a small stack of small books) on your abdomen, right on top of your belly button. Gaze toward the books: You should be able to see them at the very bottom of your field of vision. As you inhale, try to make the books rise. On the exhale, watch them lower.
Do 20 repetitions.
Cat and cow. Get on your hands and knees. Exhale audibly and round your back up. You should resemble a hissing cat at Halloween, with its back arched. Hollow out your belly and blow air out toward your belly button. Drop your head completely and stretch the back of your neck. Your tailbone should be tipped under.
On the inhale—the cow portion of the exercise—drop your body, relaxing your belly, and letting it expand downward toward the floor. Let gravity help. Your tailbone should now be tipped out. Swivel your head upward as if you’re looking toward the sky. When doing cow, your belly should be relaxed and hanging low, and your head positioned up as if you’re mooing.
Alternate the cat and cow 10 times, synchronizing the movement until it flows and you can easily rotate back and forth.
The perfect standing breath. Change to a standing position and continue to inhale and exhale as you were doing in cat and cow. As you inhale, let your belly expand forward. Arch your back a bit and let your bottom pop back slightly. On the exhale, contract your belly, feel your lower abs tighten, and tuck in your bottom. Your neck, chest, and shoulders shouldn’t move: Only your belly and pelvis should be moving back and forth.
Do 20 repetitions.
Daily routine
Practice the four exercises in a sequence twice per day. It should take three to 10 minutes. If you feel lightheaded, start with fewer repetitions and work your way up over time.
- Do rock and roll 20 times.
- Roll over onto your back and do diaphragm extensions 20 times.
- Roll over and push up on all fours. Do cat and cow 20 times.
- Sit back on your feet momentarily (or come back onto a chair) and do 20 rock and roll breaths again.
- Stand up and do the perfect standing breath 20 times.
For the first two weeks, breathe through your mouth while doing the exercises. This will help keep your attention on your breath so you don’t default to your old way of breathing. After two weeks, start breathing through your nose, which is the best way to take full, deep breaths.
