Diaphragmatic Versus Chest Breathing
What is our secret of deep Super Power Breathing? How can you draw air into the very base of your lungs? Not by merely sniffing it in through your nose nor by gasping it in through your mouth!
Babies breathe naturally by using their diaphragms to create suction which pulls air into the lungs. Air may enter the body through either the nose or the mouth, but the force which draws it in, filling the air sacs of the lungs to capacity, comes from the strong muscular action of the diaphragm.
The diaphragm is a dome-shaped sheet of strong muscle fibers. It separates the thoracic (upper) half of your body, which contains the heart and lungs – from the abdominal (lower) cavity, which houses the organs of digestion and elimination. The diaphragm stretches from the sternum (breastbone) in front and across the bottom of the ribs to the backbone.
As the diaphragm expands and flattens, it moves downward, producing suction within the chest cavity and pulling air into the lungs (inhalation). When the diaphragm relaxes and rises, it forces air out of the lungs (exhalation). Both operations are equally important: inhalation to bring in life-giving oxygen; exhalation to expel all of the poisonous carbon dioxide.
Exercise and living longer go together! Exercise can be a brisk walk 3 times a week, plus at least 30 minutes a day of general, constant movement. Even doing such mundane activities as gardening, housework and climbing stairs helps to lower risk for heart disease, claim sports doctors who focus on athletic training. – Sports Medicine Digest
The USDA has issued new dietary guidelines encouraging more exercise and the consumption of less fat. The guidelines also stress the use of dietary sources of vitamins and minerals, especially antioxidants and B vitamins, including folic acid. In addition, the guidelines point out that diet is important to health at all stages of life and can help reduce the risk of diseases of all kinds.
Chest breathing results from the movement of the rib section of the trunk, especially the upper section of the chest. When a person inhales, the chest expands, becoming larger. When he exhales, the chest relaxes, becoming smaller. When performed to the limit of inhalation and exhalation, it’s an excellent form of internal exercise that helps the whole waist area. It also develops the chest and has many other health benefits.
A great deal is made about chest expansion . . . the number of inches which the chest expands from a relaxed position (after exhalation) to that when the lungs are filled with air. However, people with large chests breathe no more effectively than those people with average-sized chests who use their breathing organs efficiently to spread oxygen throughout their bodies.
Chest breathing: the body undertakes this natural method only during strenuous exertion. It might be termed a form of forced breathing. It is an emergency measure. Unfortunately, most people rob themselves of oxygen when they breathe because they use only a minimum of the top portion of their lungs.
Diaphragmatic breathing: this is the natural method designed for the body. When you inhale, the diaphragm expands, it not only expands the chest cavity and draws air into the lungs, but it also expands the abdominal cavity. It does more than just drawing in air, it stretches and massages the abdominal muscles and organs. When you exhale the diaphragm relaxes. It expels air from the lungs, exercises the rib muscles and massages the heart. Because this tones and tightens the abdominal muscles, you get healthier with each super power breath!
Wake up and say, “Today I am going to be happier, healthier and wiser in my daily living. I am the captain of my life and am going to steer it for l00% healthy lifestyle living!” Fact: Happy people look younger, live longer and have fewer health problems! – Patricia Bragg
Nature, time and patience are the 3 greatest physicians. – Irish Proverb
The secret of longevity is eating intelligently. – Gayelord Hause
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