The Gurus Have Got It Wrong...
4 Common Myths About Breathing

It seems like every time you read about a health issue in a magazine or website lately some alternative health guru is telling you how to breathe. The instructions can range from the totally ludicrous to the simply misinformed. Advice on breathing is a perfect example of how useless information can get repeated so many times that it "sounds" right and takes on the ring of truth.

But nothing could be further from it. The only absolute truth is that breathing is indeed a marvellous healing tool - when done naturally and correctly. So it's especially sad that so much of what passes for good advice on this topic can often do more harm than good.

Here are some of the most common myths and misguided advice surrounding breathing:

"Do deep breathing exercises": The way these are described usually lead to hyperventilation, not better health. The symptoms include dizziness, light-headedness, confusion, and even nausea... just the thing to relieve that panic attack! (for which deep breathing is commonly recommended)

"We don't get enough oxygen": We don't need more oxygen. In fact, most of us are oxygen saturated and what we really need is more carbon-dioxide! Practitioners of the Buteyko Method to control asthma have persuasively demonstrated that slow and shallow breathing to reverse oxygen saturation is far more effective than deep breathing. This debunks the oxygen depletion myth.

"Count to 4, then exhale... ": Typical breathing instructions nearly always include some variant of a counting procedure. Counting your breathing is, well, counter-productive! The benefits to be had from healthy breathing demand relaxation and there's no way to relax while counting! The same goes for following any sort of external timekeeper.

"Breathe with your abdomen": This is usually accompanied by an explanation that babies breathe naturally from their abdomen (that's probably why they burp so much!) and that somewhere along the way we've been corrupted into breathing with our chests. This is one of those things that sounds so convincing... until you really think about it. The reason we don't breathe like babies any more is because we've developed into adults! Most activities as we go about our day demand breathing higher in the diaphragm.

Abdominal breathing can, in fact, be very healthy but it follows naturally from a healthy and natural form of breathing when relaxed and at rest. It should not be forced.

You can find a lot more breathing silliness including instructions for breathing through one nostril and out the other and countless other variations. Complicated or exotic breathing methods may be great for yoga or meditation but are unsuitable for most purposes. Simple, healthy breathing comes naturally, despite what some gurus may say.

Natural breathing is slow and gentle... easy does it!

"Deep breathing" is a misleading and useless instruction that usually does more harm than good. A better way to visualize healthy breathing is in terms of slow and gentle. The suggestions that follow are easy ways to get health benefits from a genuinely natural form of breathing. Practiced 15 minutes a day while relaxing is all it takes.

Think slow and gentle, not deep. You should forget about getting more oxygen, which you don't need, and breathe more slowly. 10 breaths per minute is the absolute maximum and with practice you should shoot for 6 breaths a minute. Slow breathing is the key to numerous health benefits, clinically proven to lower high blood pressure and relieve stress and anxiety.

Breathing gently helps slow you down, relaxes you and also prevents hyperventilation.

Timing is crucial - but don't count on it!

The breathing pattern is just as important as the rate. Gradually learn to extend your exhale to about twice the length of your inhale. But there's no need to count or keep time. Your internal clock can easily figure it close enough and put you on the right cycle. Staying relaxed is far more important than precision timing.

Much of the therapeutic value is in exhaling. When you exhale relax into it totally and let the air pressure expel itself instead of using muscular force. When you do it just right you can feel an incredible release of tension in your diaphragm and an opening of blood vessels that acts like a safety valve for stress and high blood pressure.

Abdominal breathing - it comes naturally

Abdominal breathing is very healthy when relaxing but follows naturally through slow and gentle breathing. For some people it comes quickly and easily; for others it takes longer. But to try to force it right off the bat is to put the cart before the horse; it only disturbs the relaxation you need to benefit from this type of breathing in the first place.

So don't get in a headspin over deep breathing or confuse your tendencies with abdominal breathing. Just follow these easy and natural breathing techniques for 15 minutes a day and you'll be breathing like a baby before you know it. You may also discover lower blood pressure, lower levels of stress and anxiety and better sleep too.

Click here to read more about health benefits including lower blood pressure and stress relief using natural slow breathing.