Breathing is typically not an action most people think about on a daily basis. For most people, breathing is an action that happens on its own like blinking your eyes. Who has the time to think about something you don’t have to think about?
Breathing and Posture
Since thinking about breathing isn’t necessary, most people don’t pay attention to their posture when they are breathing. When you’ve been sitting for a while, your shoulders tend to roll forward and your lower back begins to round. Spending a majority of the day in this position can lead to back, shoulder, and neck pain. Additionally, this posture fosters poor breathing. The forward shoulder position leads to muscle tightness which causes our ribcage to elevate, leading to chest dominated breathing. The pec major attaches from the front of the shoulder to the rib cage, and the scalenes attach from the neck to the ribcage. When these two muscles become overactive, they cause a forward rounding of the shoulders. Also, the trapezius muscles in the upper back (the shrugging muscles) become tight, further contributing to this position and poor breathing.
Along with muscle tightness, there is also muscle weakness, primarily in the abdomen. Weak abdominal muscles can cause a hollowing out of the midsection, leading to lower back pain and continual chest breathing. Chest breathing continues to promote the poor posture by keeping the tightened muscles tight and the unused abdominal muscle weak.
Learn to Belly Breathe
“Belly breathing” utilizes the diaphragm which is the major muscle that should be used in breathing. Shifting the focus of your breathing down towards the belly (or, more accurately, the diaphragm) has several benefits including:
- Better posture
- Alleviated neck pain and back pain
- Enhanced muscle relaxation
- Increased relaxed physical and mental state
Practice belly breathing today and reap the benefits.