Deep breathing for detox and release
When I was in college in the early 1980’s, I learned one of the most valuable life lessons in one of my Physical Therapy classes. The professor taught us about how to breathe in deeply by expanding our diaphragms at the lower part of our chest areas. I believe we were studying about pulmonary (lung) conditions at the time.
Our professor told us how many people, especially women, breathe shallowly from their upper chest. More women he said because of them being self-conscious about not wanting their belly’s to expand making them look heavier.
In response to his urging, I placed my hand on my lower chest about my belly-button area to assist me in feeling my diaphragm expand allowing me to breathe more deeply. By deep breathing I found the physical benefits of moving the lymph fluid. The lymph fluid is the garbage by product in our body that relies solely on the movement of our muscles and deep breathing for movement. Deep breathing creates a vacuum suctioning effect, moving the lymph fluid. This strengthens and boosts our immune system function.
When I became ill with Crohn’s disease just after graduating college and started on my journey to regain my health back, I discovered how deep breathing also helped me relax my mind and let go of stressful thoughts and incidents. This is especially helpful in situations where it is difficult to let go feelings like frustration, worry, and anger. This is because deep breathing assists me to process and let go of these fear based emotions that are not serving my well-being. I have found a variety of different breathing patterns, many I learned in yoga classes, that help calm these emotions and allow them to leave my body rather than getting stuck inside and fester.
Lastly, deep breathing has allowed me to connect better with spirit or as I like to say God & my guardian angels. Deep breathing can help us get more deeply into a calmer and meditative state. This is where we can tap into our creative thoughts and guiding messages that spirit is trying to give us.
Breathing is the only automatic body function that we have ready access to altering voluntarily. What I mean is we all breathe in and out without having to think about it – it just happens automatically. However, we can make conscious decision to alter this automatic function by inhaling and exhaling more deeply and longer, as well as hold our breath for a specific amount of time. In doing so, we can more control of all the main areas of our lives (physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually) by the literal breath of life. All we have to do is remember to breathe more deeply and expansively, especially when we get stressed or upset as that causes us to hold our breath and increases the stress we are feeling by depriving our body of necessary oxygen, the main fuel source for our cells. With practice, even deep breathing will become more automatic and in turn give us more peace and love in our lives.
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Barbara Steingas is an award winning author, inspirational speaker and radiant life coach, helping people to optimize their health and vitality. She can be found at Steingasbooks. Barbara is joining Mind Key as a resident columnist, sharing her 21 Tips for Healing.
