By Hilary Patzer
The Ease and Struggle of Breathing
Before you read any further, close your eyes and pay close attention to your breathing... Are you holding your abdomen in and breathing strictly from you chest, or is your stomach moving with the inhalation and exhalation? Are your breaths short, shallow, and hurried, or long, rich, and relaxed? Our breathing is where we get our oxygen, it is our life force. If you are breathing short and quick, there is far less oxygen entering your system and far more carbon dioxide than if you took long, deep, cleansing breaths. Don’t you want more bang for your buck?
Breathing is something we rarely think about and critique, but it is one of the easiest, most relaxing, and most enjoyable ways to increase our lung capacity and total body performance. Something so simple and second natured as breathing can enhance our athletic performance, energize us or help with recovery and quietness. In fact, if you focus on one of the breathing exercises below, I believe that all of these attributes could be accomplished simultaneously. You will feel more energized because your body will be fully oxygenated and your cells saturated, something we rarely experience. Breathing is used for meditation and relaxation, as a way to calm or spirits and replenish our souls by relieving stress and expelling toxins. And by using proper breathing techniques, you are able to enhance your performance by increasing your lung capacity and flooding your muscles with oxygen. Most people do not utilize proper breathing techniques- and no, gasping is not considered “proper breathing”. However, a few simple alterations could deliver you to a new level of performance and relaxation.
Breathing clearly affects our state of mind. Through our breathing, we have the ability to excite ourselves, relax and calm our souls. More rapid breathing will excite our bodies, and prepare us to workout, whereas long, slow, deep breaths will induce rest and repose.
Following you will find a breathing exercise which relaxes your mind and body, oxygenates your blood, and purges your lungs of residual carbon dioxide. This type of breathing has its roots in yoga, although you can easily diversify it and apply to all areas of your life. With practice, it will become more habitual and with that, your performance in sports will be enhanced, you will be more relaxed, calm, peaceful, and alive.
Full Yoga Breathing
The first step is to take an in breath which fills your abdomen and as you continue to inhale, you will next fill your lungs and chest. When you exhale, it is the opposite procedure, first exhale from you lungs, and then continue to exhale from your abdomen. Your body will move in waves.
Although you may feel a bit rough and choppy at first, stick with this breathing exercise and you will see the results. Start by just trying to do it for a few minutes, then ten minutes, thirty… As you become more accustomed to it, you will start to use it more and more and begin to see the benefits. Your goal is a smooth flowing pattern which uses minimum effort to accomplish maximum capacity and reward.
Further, the amount of time you spend inhaling and exhaling in relation to each other is also a way to focus and increase your breathing capacity, it is known as your breathing ratio. It is another way to think about what your breaths are telling you- are you relaxed or stressed? The top portion of this chart is for relaxing your body and mind, while the bottom is used to energizing yourself and prepare for competitions. Play with the different ratios until you find one that you are comfortable with and will consistently do, as there are several options for relaxing, balancing, and energizing breaths.
| Inhalation | Hold | Exhalation | Hold | Effect |
| 4 counts | 1 count | 8 counts | 4 counts | Relaxing |
| 4 counts | 1 count | 12 counts | 1 count | Relaxing |
| 6 counts | 1 count | 10 counts | 1 count | Relaxing |
| 6 counts | 1 count | 8 counts | 4 counts | Relaxing |
| 8 counts | 1 count | 8 counts | 1 count | Balancing |
| 6 counts | 2 counts | 6 counts | 2 counts | Balancing |
| 6 counts | 4 counts | 6 counts | 1 count | Energizing |
| 6 counts | 6 counts | 6 counts | 1 count | Energizing |
Practice these breathing exercises when you are more sedentary. As you conquer them, try to include them in you athletic pursuits. Both of these breathing exercises will help clear carbon dioxide from your lungs and allow for more oxygen to enter. You will be able to run further, faster, and with more ease than you could previously. Proper breathing will help your endurance, meditative, and yoga endeavors, and you will soon be experiencing PRs on a regular basis. Placing awareness onto something as habitual and necessary as breathing will help you energize, relax, and increase you lung capacity.
