The breath is one of our reasons for living and yet many of us take it for granted and don't give it a second thought. Let's face it, if we can't breathe, we will die, there's no getting around that. The type of breathing we do however can determine how calm we are and when we're in panic mode (negative stress), there's a lot of information out there on that subject but what is best to develop a strong system and flow of the body, not just to the muscles but to the organs and the brain?
Experimenting with different breathing patterns for years, some have worked very well and others have caused problems and even made me dizzy and disoriented. There are many patterns of breathing if you do enough research but which ones are worthy to trust and give you a better sense of focus and being relaxed or tense? There's Chest Breathing, Diaphragmatic Breathing, Box Breathing and others but which ones are bad for you and which ones are the real deal?
Most people Chest Breathe because that was what they were taught later on in life and most likely picked up on it through observation and it become a normal thing. There are courses out there specifically for this type of breathing and some give it a few good points but it goes without saying, Chest Breathing can cause more harm than good; first off, it conditions the body to react to negative stress much faster and causes the Flight or Fight mode which depending on the situation puts an individual in a state of panic, anxiety and other forms of stress. In fitness, it is taught in old time courses to "expand the chest" and trim the waistline and help develop that V-Shape from the low abdomen to the top areas of the back. It can do wonders for a physique (possibly) but to overall health, it can be dangerous.
Diaphragmatic Breathing has shown to condition the body to react in a more calming state even in stressful situations, it's an expansion of the belly on the inhale and a pull back towards the lower back on the exhale. Some people use it as a meditative practice to keep the body relaxed and more in tuned with the mind and control of the breath. There are different areas of Diaphragmatic breathing that teach the body to stay in that relaxed state. Some have even shown results of increased cardio doing this. The Gracie family (most famously Rickson) use certain breathing patterns to keep going in BJJ and be able to roll around without gassing.
Box Breathing is a specific technique where you inhale for a count, exhale for a count say a 4-count for each inhale and exhale. This is a more concentrated form of breathing where it programs the mind and body to focus more on where the breath goes and creating a "Boxed" format. Some people use this for walking and count the steps per inhale and exhale to create a rhythm or stride at a brisk pace.
When you get caught in a situation that forces you to breathe in a certain manner, you never know what your breathing is because in a certain situation you don't always know if you need to be calm or go for the fight or flight. When I was in BJJ, I didn't understand completely what was happening around me and I did get caught in fight or flight mode and was gassing much quicker even though I was in decent shape. As I got better in handling my opponent, I was also breathing differently and was learning how to breathe during spars (just the workout of sparring in itself can bring on stress) but I was lasting a little longer each time, I still got my ass kicked but little by little I was lasting longer in matches and at certain times didn't get tapped at all and was able to keep going.
What patterns or techniques work best? It depends on the goals you want to achieve but from my experiences, Diaphragmatic Breathing always worked in my favor more than anything else. Whenever I practiced Chest Breathing, I lost energy and stamina much faster and nearly blacked out one time in the gym after working so hard on a circuit and my breathing automatically went to the Chest because back then I didn't know any better. When I began experimenting with it in a different setting, the main difference between almost blacking out and actually concentrating on it was the way my body just caused more problems internally. With the "belly" breathing and even box breathing, I have greater energy, my cardio lasts longer and my body feels much better whether in the middle of a workout or after. I use it for Step-Up Training, Hiking, Swimming, during Animal Workouts and other activities.
A variation of the Diaphragmatic Breathing is doing the "Breath Of Fire" technique I've seen Rickson Gracie do has been my latest experiment in how I apply breathing whether in a meditation or through my hard workouts and so far, I'm really liking it and it keeps me fresh every workout or activity I do. Is it for everyone? Maybe, maybe not but see what it can do and practice carefully and with focus, if you are having trouble with it, don't force it or hurt yourself. Breathe my friend.
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