Is your breathing causing you stress and bad posture?

Most of us lack deep belly breathing.

In modern society where everything is non stop and there are deadlines to meet most of us tend to do too much shallow breathing.

Over time this can actually result in poor posture because shallow breathing (breathing mostly through the chest) tightens your pec minor (which is one of your chest muscles just in front of your shoulder) and makes you slightly rounded through your upper back as well as tightening your thoracic (mid spine).

What science also associates with shallow breathing is anxiety and increased stress levels due to the lack of oxygen circulating through the body.

 

How can you change?

  • Make sure you don’t do reversed breathing= inhale belly in, exhale belly out. A lot of people do this. Proper belly breathing is meant to be inhale belly out and exhale belly in! Your ribcage is meant to expand all the way down to the bottom.
  • Start doing 5 deep belly breaths first thing in the morning so you are setting yourself up for the day
  • Learn to do some deep belly breaths in stressful situations or when you feel anxious
  • Try some YinYoga or meditation to practice deep belly breathing
  • Practice deep belly breathing when trying to fall asleep. Focus on your breathing and you will help calm down your nervous system



Nina Egenberger
Nina Egenberger

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