your health
We don’t tend to give much thought to how we breathe – and we really should. Leading breathwork coach, Anna Parker-Naples says: “How we breathe can impact everything, from how much oxygen we’re getting into our bloodstream, to our lung capacity, how well our organs function, how effectively our brain works, our response to stress and even how effective we are at removing toxins from our body. For example, we’re meant to be able to release 79 per cent of toxins through our breath alone, yet most of us aren’t, because we’re not breathing how our body was best designed to.
“In fact, of the 20,000 breaths we take a day, most of that breathing is dysfunctional.”
So, what can we do to make positive changes? Anna says, “The first step is to become aware of how
Forget expensive supplements, the secret to better health may lie simply in the breath…
you breathe. Is it mainly through the mouth or nose? From the chest or stomach? By making some simple tweaks and practising regularly, you can make improvements to your health in as little as 8-12 weeks.” Here, Anna explores how…
Nasal breathing
“Firstly, always try to breathe through your nose as much as possible. This is because when we breathe through our nose, it
releases something called nitric oxide, which widens blood vessels and improves the circulation of oxygen in our body. Our nose also automatically filters out dust or allergens and warms the air we breathe in, making it easier for our lungs to use.
“So, while it’s never 100 per cent wrong to breathe through your mouth, we have that more as a secondary system. Breathing through your nose helps your body make more use of the breath effectively.”
FIRST STEPS
“Start by noticing when you’re breathing through your mouth and closing it. To take things further, and as long as your GP is happy, you might even try taping your mouth with micropore tape for 20 minutes at a time to encourage nasal breathing, gradually building up over time. If this goes well, and again your GP is happy, you could also try wearing the tape at night. Generally, it doesn’t take very long for people to shift to more regular nose breathing at night and after a little while you won’t need the tape because your body will know ‘that’s what we do now.’
