Your breath is your superpower!
I don't know about you, but I think now more than ever, it's a great time to breathe (through your nose). We know that breathing is an unconscious, vital system of the body, but I'm talking about bringing breath to our conscious mind to directly control our nervous system and the way we respond to stressful stimuli.
Here are 6 awesome reasons why breathing through your nose is your superpower:
1. Brain boosting - research shows that breathing through your nose helps you to perform tasks better, improve mental focus and memory.
2. Purifies and protects - Nitric oxide is produced in the sinuses around the nose. It protects against airborne viruses, bacteria, allergens, and other pathogens and can help resist infection.
3. Strengthens - nasal breathing engages and strengthens the diaphragm (compared to mouth breathing), which is an integral muscle of the powerhouse and necessary for spinal stability. It also helps to improve blood flow back to the heart, reducing its workload.
4. Raises oxygen levels - nasal breathing aids blood vessel dilation and therefore increases oxygen uptake, making the blood flow easier.
5. Ultimate chill pill - deep nasal breathing switches on your parasympathetic nervous system, which acts like a brake, calming your body down. Long, deep breaths will slow your heart and reduce your blood pressure, thereby reducing anxiety.
6. Pain relief - breathing through your nose can also be an effective way of dealing with pain. Chronic pain is closely linked to stress and learning how to do ‘controlled breathing’ is an important part of treatment for managing both. If you live in a state of chronic stress or pain, your nervous system will stay on permanent high alert, with your muscles in a constant state of tension.
The first step to accessing your superpower is recognising that you may very well be a mouth-breather. So start paying attention to your breathing throughout your day, zip your mouth and let your nose do the breathing…after all, that’s what it was designed for!
If you find breathing through your nose challenging for any reason e.g. congestion, then there is a simple and free hack...humming!
Humming causes the air to oscillate between the sinuses and nose even if the sinus drainage pathways are congested. This in turn helps to ventilate sinuses making it easier to breathe through your nose. Research shows that during humming, the amount of nitric oxide escaping into the nose increases 15-fold.
Throughout November classes, we'll focus on how to harness this superpower through various breathing techniques which will also help to improve your overall movement...oh, and expect some humming :)
Remember, you have the power to change your brain chemistry and give yourself a reset with a few deep nasal breaths, whenever and wherever you like. It’s also worth listening to a recent podcast by Dr Michael Mosely: Breathe through your nose, where he too discusses the benefits of nasal breathing plus interviews Professor Jon Lundberg who discovered that nitric oxide is produced in the nose.
If you like the sound of exploring breathwork, then why not join the Happy Body Pilates video club as there are a number of breathing technique videos you can follow.