Should you breathe through your stomach or your thorax (rib cage)?

Caution : You must consult your doctor for your health. This page presents only a personal and alternative point of view which should not be considered as an attempt to prescribe medicine.

Respiration is an essential process for human survival.

For this, it is important to adopt the best technique for breathing.

So, unlike chest breathing, abdominal breathing provides enormous health benefits.

What is chest breathing?

Thoracic breathing takes place only in the thorax.

This type of breathing is practiced completely automatically and unconsciously during acute or chronic stress.

During the process, the lungs are not well used.

In fact, the quantity of air they contain does not exceed 30% of their initial capacity.

In addition, breathing through the rib cage can cause many ailments.

These can start from the feeling of anxiety and stress to an unpleasant feeling of discomfort.

You may also feel chest tightness or even shortness of breath.

Likewise, chest breathing does not promote a good supply of oxygen to cells.

Thus, the various toxins contained in the body are not properly evacuated.

In short, breathing through the thorax constitutes uncontrolled breathing which has several harmful effects.

These affect physical, psychological and even emotional health.

Belly breathing: a better way to breathe

Breathing through the stomach simply appears to be the best way to achieve voluntary and controlled breathing.

Unlike breathing through the chest, it is only the abdomen that works.

The upper body is therefore not affected.

It is a natural phenomenon which is perfectly suited to the body's needs in terms of oxygen supply.

It is in this sense that abdominal breathing holds all its effectiveness and all its benefits for the body.

In fact, unlike chest breathing, belly breathing is very beneficial for health.

It eliminates gaseous waste stored in the body.

In addition, it helps to considerably reduce anxieties and stress.

It helps to regulate the heart rate.

In addition, abdominal breathing facilitates oxygenation of cells and blood.

This technique gives you a feeling of well-being and serenity.

Moreover, this type of breathing promotes the activation of the nerve channels because ventral breathing solicits the diaphragm, the main muscle of breathing.

It also stimulates the production of endorphins in the body.

Therefore, the relaxation of the organism is complete.

Should we combine abdominal breathing and thoracic breathing?

Contrary to what one might think, breathing through the thorax is not a technique to be fundamentally excluded.

It can in some cases be useful.

For this, it should be associated with breathing through the belly.

Indeed, the combination of these two methods of breathing allows to obtain the perfect breathing, what is called the complete yogic breathing.

In practice, this consists of inflating the lower abdomen (the abdomen) then the upper body, that is to say the rib cage.

However, this combined method has to be learned to get used to.

Thus, training and concentration are determining factors in achieving good results.

Moreover, by combining chest breathing and abdominal breathing, you can immediately feel the benefits of this technique.

Indeed, it quickly attenuates anxieties and allows you to find a feeling of well-being and serenity.

Moreover, it is this type of breathing that is often practiced for meditation or yoga.

However, the trap will be to practice full breathing as a form of hyperventilation, which would have adverse effects.

How to identify the ideal form of breathing?

It is possible to tell if you are doing abdominal breathing or chest breathing.

To do this, simply lie down and then place one hand on your chest and the second hand on your stomach.

Then you need to take an inspiration.

If you find that your chest is inflating first, you can conclude that you are breathing through your chest.

Otherwise, you practice stomach breathing.

Also, by breathing through the chest, you are not using all of your breathing capacity.

Thus, you can feel fatigue more quickly from too much oxygen intake.

The best option would therefore be to learn to do abdominal breathing.

Conclusion

Abdominal breathing appears to be the best breath you should be focusing on.

It is very beneficial for health.

On the other hand, chest breathing is not recommended too much except in the case of certain perfectly mastered exercises.

Likewise, it can sometimes be very harmful for humans.

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