Biology of breathing - experiential

• I invite you to bring your attention - your sensory awareness -  to the areas in our body where it's easy to breathe, (pause) 
• then to areas where it's more difficult to breathe (pause)
• now, place your hand on your middle
• notice how it alternately rises and settles 

Please look at our lovely model                         

Notice the pink hump in her middle - that’s her diaphragm.

When your hand was on your middle, you felt your diaphragm alternately rise and settle 

This movement alternately creates and releases a vacuum that pulls air into your lungs, and releases it. 

• Notice that the girl's heart and lungs rest on her diaphragm.  
• Her stomach and other internal organs (not depicted) nestle under it.
• When her diaphragm is relaxed, her breathing will be full and even, and her breathing will give those organs a soothing massage that supports their digestive functions.

Please bring your attention to your next 12 breaths - without forcing air in or out. 

• Notice where your breath flows easily and where it does not. 
• Then scan you body  
• Notice what changes you experience. 

On our model, notice what penetrates the diaphragm:

• a major blood vessel (aorta) 
• her esophagus connecting her mouth to her stomach
• her vagus nerve that regulates vital bodily functions (v. nerve not depicted, so please take my word for it.)

Can you see how relaxing  your diaphragm (reducing constriction) supports 

• Circulation throughout your body
• Digestion (Got reflux; heartburn? See how relaxing diaphragm tension could ease that? 
• Spine - Your diaphragm is a disc-shaped muscle that also attaches to your spine. (When clients complain of back pain, they often feel relief when I help them relax their diaphragm.)
• Lungs - getting enough air depends on a supple diaphragm.
  • Taking in oxygen relies on the diaphragm creating a vacuum that pulls in air. If your diaphragm is tense it doesn’t move much. 
  • Your body depends on your Lungs’ capacity to oxygenate 5 quarts of blood/min.  Shallow breathing may only oxygenate  1 quart/min. 
  • Breathing is usually an automatic activity. If you have panic attacks or your body needs some remedial help with any of the above, the practice of conscious breathing may help.*

Suggested activity: Bring your awareness to your breathing when you're walking, driving, cooking, cleaning - and especially when you're using a computer or other digital device.  What do you notice?

^* I invite you to check out Breathing Patterns  on my blog