Breathwork - Supporting the Lungs

Since breathing is the job your lungs do for you, give them a little break and don’t make them do all the work. Once you have developed an awareness of your breath and how you are breathing, you can begin to develop control.  A common problem that many people have is a dependence on the “accessory muscles” or muscles of the neck and shoulders to breathe.  This type of breathing increases neck and shoulder tension, reduces the amount of oxygen obtained with each breath and further perpetuates feelings of stress. 

Use your diaphragm to help descend the lungs. Breathe slowly and deep into the belly. Bring your awareness to the area below the lungs rather than at the lungs. This will deepen your breathing and kindly nudge the diaphragm to take on some of the work.

Here’s how to make more of the over 20,00 breaths you take every day more relaxed and harmonic while reducing breaths that are stressed or tense:
1. Breathe through the nose
2. Breathe with the diaphragm
3. Breathe relaxed
4. Breathe rhythmically
5. Breathe silently

A Side Note About The Benefits Of Qi Gong 
QiGong is a way of cultivating internal energy. There are many forms of qigong that can focus on a wide range of health concerns. Here are a couple of short qigong exercises meant to strengthen the energy of the lungs.

Tapping at Lung 1 acupoint: Find the little triangle beneath the collarbone where it meets the shoulder. From that point, jump your fingers down about an inch or two into the muscle belly of the pectoralis muscle. This is Lung 1. Use your fingers to tap this point for about a minute to stimulate lung energy. Notice how your breathing feels after.

Massaging the sides of the nose: Using the base of both thumbs, massage up and down along the sides of the nose. The lungs open up to the nose, so by massaging this area, you are accessing and stimulating lung energy. Do this for about a minute. Notice how your breathing feels after.
Getting started on supporting lung health now will actually help you in the Fall. Fall is the time of year that can be most taxing on the lungs, according to Chinese Medicine. Getting your lungs in good shape for the Fall so that not only will you be able to breathe well; you will also be in a better position to fight off the colds that come with the change of the season.