Welcome to another day of Breathe Together With Me Challenge.
I'm so glad you are here.
Today we're going to do diaphragmatic breathing.
We'll work on the biomechanics of breathing.
To understand the biomechanics of breathing,
You need to try and work on having your breathing into the diaphragm,
Deep into the lungs.
Doing diaphragmatic breathing will help you slow down,
Calm the mind,
Remove gas exchange,
As air is drawn deep into the lungs.
This supports functional breathing for functional movement.
It generates intra-abdominal pressure for postural control and spinal control.
Let's get deep breathing into the lungs,
Into the diaphragm.
Let's get started.
Sit on a chair,
Take the lotus position,
Or have your back rested on the chair.
If you're sitting,
Imagine a piece of string pulling you upwards towards the ceiling.
Imagine the space between your ribs widening.
With your mouth closed,
Feel relaxed.
Breathe in and out,
Through your nose.
Place your hands on your chest or your tummy,
Or on your lap for now.
Get ready.
Close your eyes or soften your place.
We're going to practice noticing your diaphragm and your chest walls moving in and out.
What I'll get you to do is place your hands on either side of your body,
At the lower two ribs.
I would like you to take a big breath,
Deep into your lungs.
As you breathe in,
Feel your ribs expanding outward.
As you breathe out,
Feel your ribs moving inward.
It takes intra-abdominal pressure to push the ribs outwards.
Take fuller breaths,
But fewer and slower.
A fuller breath will stimulate the vagal nerve.
And as you breathe in,
Feel your lower ribs moving out.
As you breathe out,
Feel your lower ribs moving inwards.
During this inhalation,
The diaphragm will move downwards.
The belly will move outwards.
The intercostal muscle will move outwards.
This generates an outward movement to the front,
Which means the belly,
The sides and the back.
When you breathe in,
Feel your ribs expanding outwards.
As you breathe out,
Feel your ribs moving inwards.
There's no need to hear your breathing during this exercise.
Breathing slowly,
Lightly and deeply.
Let's practice for a few more minutes.
Feel your ribs going outwards as you breathe in and going inwards as you breathe out.
If your mind wanders,
Gently bring it back.
It's okay for your mind to wander.
That's normal.
You just have to gently bring it back.
Let's practice holding your ribs.
When you breathe in,
Your ribs will move outwards.
As you breathe out,
Feel your ribs moving inwards.
And one more minute of breathing in To finish this exercise,
Let's take one more slow breath together.
Breathe in.
Enjoy the sense of calm that fills your body and mind.
Only open your eyes if they were closed and take a moment to notice how you feel.
In this exercise,
You've learnt the bio-mechanics of breathing.
We've learnt to use your diaphragm,
Engage it and breathe into the belly.
Breathe deep into your lungs.
Remember,
You can always come back to this breathing exercise anytime you need to find a moment of peace and relaxation in your day.
Thank you for taking this time for yourself.
I hope you enjoy this day of breathing together with me.
Until tomorrow.
