The following is a very simplified explanation of the mechanics of breathing. To get this kind of understanding may help you develop greater awareness of what you actually do when breathing.
There are 3 basic ways to breathe. Some are better adapted to different types of activity.
Read this and experiment. In a later post I will propose some basic exercises.
Basic
Architecture of the Torso :
The
Chest at the top contains the Lungs and
Heart. The Chest is a cavity formed by the spine in the
back, the sternum in the front, and 12 pairs of ribs on the sides.
Under
the Chest the Abdomen contains the digestive organs :
stomach, liver, spleen, pancreas, intestine; the kidneys and bladder,
and the reproductive organs.
Chest
and Abdomen are separated by the Diaphragm, a flat
muscle shaped as a dome. In the center of the diaphragm is a hole
through which run the esophagus and some veins and arteries. The
shape of the diaphragm is modified during breathing. Inhalation
corresponds to a flattening of the diaphragm.
The
lungs located inside the ribcage have the general shape of a bell.
Their structure is similar to that of a sponge and they are elastic.
Muscular action can stretch or compress the lungs, (exhalation or
inhalation). When the muscular action ceases, the lungs revert to
their original shape and volume. If you try to force yourself into
inhaling lots of air, and then relax, your lungs will naturally
empty. If you try to force yourself into emptying your lungs as much
as you can, when you relax, air will naturally fill them up again.
The
digestive organs in the abdomen are not elastic. Their shape and
position can be changed by muscular action, but not their volume.
Separated from the lungs by the diaphragm, they act as a sort of
piston which can move up or down under the lungs, pushing or pulling
them up or down.
There
are 3 basic ways to modify the shape of the lungs :
- lifting or lowering the chest.
- expanding or squeezing the bottom of the chest.
- raising or lowering the digestive organs.
- Lifting or lowering your chest : Inhale by raising your chest : straighten your spine and lift your ribs; exhale by letting your ribs fall and rolling your spine down. This is the shallowest kind of breathing, there is not much room for expansion of the top of the lungs.
- Vary the diameter of your chest. By expanding or squeezing your lower rib cage sideways. This is a deep way to breathe. The ribcage can expand quite a bit sideways, and the bottom of the lungs can expand a lot to inhale lots of air.
- Upward or downward movement of your abdominal organs, through action of your abdominal muscles..
Exhalation
happens by contracting one's lower abdominal muscles. This action
lifts the guts. They push the diaphragm and the lungs upward. This
type of breathing is very adapted to intense activity such as
fighting where emphasis should be made on short forced exhalation
through contraction of the abdominal muscles. Inhalation just happens
by itself in between each exhalation.
Inhalation
is produced by contracting the higher abdominal muscles. This pushes
the guts downward, which pulls the diaphragm and the bottom of the
lungs down. This way of breathing is less common. It does not allow
for a very deep breathing, because the same action that pushes the guts down also limits the ability of the chest to expand laterally, but for some non-mechanical reasons, it is very interesting for meditative
purpose.
Of
course, it is possible to combine these actions, and practically we
very often do it. For example, when we are out of breathe, we combine
lifting and lateral expansion of our ribcage in order to inhale huge
quantities of air. Or when we sneeze, we roll our spine to the front to lower our ribcage, and contract all muscle groups that squeeze the chest and push the guts upward.
In a later post, I will propose a few exercises. for now I suggest you try to figure these 3 modes out by yourself.
Have fun...
