Breathing Physiology 101 and the OOV!
One of the most significant components in maintaining a healthy posture, prevention of pain and pathology is how and where you breathe from. There are significant biological impacts and changes that occur as a result of how individuals breathe.
When you breathe through your mouth for example or utilise your upper respiratory breathing muscles excessively, you reduce the quantity of oxygen in your blood and make it more difficult for oxygen to link to haemoglobin (a molecule in the blood that delivers oxygens throughout the body via the circulation).
The acidity or alkalinity (PH chemistry) of your blood is driven by levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body as is the quantity of oxygen in your tissues. These important levels are regulated and altered through your breathing style and quality. Tissue hypoxia, or a lack of oxygen in the tissues ( like muscles, fascia, organs) and a reduction in PH promote inflammation in the body (which is harmful to the body long term).
There are many clever compensatory mechanisms in the body to cope with inflammation in the gastrointestinal system, kidneys, and even at the cellular level. However, the cycle of compensations can only continue for a period of time until the body develops a condition that seems random (but it isn't!) such as a postural issue, injury, disease or pain manifestation.
How can being and working on the OOV be advantageous to breathing and the body? Three major ways are:
Maintaining the body's PH balance, regulating the blood and the tissues Oxygen levels via placing the body in a posture to promote proper breathing, where the diaphragm muscle can perform its primary function, which is to breathe optimally.
Teaches the body how to use proper core muscular support rather than use the diaphragm as a stabilising muscle and consequently diminish its ability to provide the correct breathing mechanism to the body.
It makes a person feel extremely present in their own body and together with this optimised breathing allows for the pendulum to swing from sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system state allowing to body to the rest, digest and restore itself.
Breathing allows us to expand our lungs and tone our bodies, increase blood flow, balance our minds and emotions, and excite the electrons in our molecules. To sleep better, sprint quicker, swim deeper, live longer and evolve further.
Fun Facts:
Normally the blood coursing through our arteries and veins at any one time does a full circuit once a minute, an average of 7570litres blood a day. This regular and consistent blood flow is essential to deliver fresh oxygenated blood to cells and removing waste.
The diaphragm lifts during exhalations, which shrinks the lungs, then it drops back down to expand them during inhalations. This up and down movement occurs within us some 50,000 times day!
Resonate, restorative, focused breathing techniques can offer the same benefit as meditation for people who don’t want to meditation or yoga for people who don’t want to get off the couch and for the healing touch of prayer for people who aren’t religious.