Why should you do abdominal, diaphragmatic breathing?
Respiration is achieved by regular contraction and relaxation of the diaphragm and chest muscles.
When performing Western exercises, the chest muscles are mainly moved, and chest breathing is mainly performed by expanding the chest when inhaling and contracting the chest when exhaling.
On the other hand, when performing Eastern, Oriental exercises such as qigong, abdominal breathing is mainly performed in which the diaphragm moves a lot by inflating the lower abdomen when inhaling and retracting the lower abdomen when exhaling.
Whether it's a Western or an Eastern, it's a good idea to only breathe in through your nose, unless you're swimming, for example, because it can irritate your throat and cause breathing problems. When exhaling, either through your nose or mouth is okay.
Thoracic or chest breathing is a natural breathing activity in life. But why is abdominal breathing emphasized and recommended?
First, simply in terms of breathing itself,
it is correct to breathe without being aware of it, but when you are stressed or tense, you often breathe unnaturally. Rather than trying to overcome this uncomfortable breathing, it is better to focus on your breathing or try to breathe longer. Abdominal breathing is helpful in relieving chest tightness while taking such deep, long breaths.
Second, from the point of view of disease prevention,
the diaphragm separates the thoracic and abdominal cavities in the human body.
The diaphragm passes through the esophagus, aorta, inferior vena cava, and vagus nerve, and is attached to the heart muscle.
If there is a problem with the diaphragm, symptoms such as stomach movement, gastroesophageal reflux disease, hernia, and arrhythmia such as atrial fibrillation, bloating, indigestion, chest palpitations, and tightness may occur.
Abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing creates negative pressure in the chest cavity, which makes it easier to suck the vena cava into the heart. In addition, it has effects such as increasing the efficiency of the lungs by receiving more oxygen into the lungs in the chest cavity, and helping to prevent and treat heart diseases such as arrhythmias.
Third, from a functional point of view inside the human body,
since the number of respirations can be reduced, the energy consumption used by the respirator itself can be reduced, and because the respiration can be long and slow, the nerves and mind are stabilized, and physiological functions are improved.
As the upper and lower width of the diaphragm increases, the function of the internal organs is improved because of the massage effect of the organs. In particular, the muscles are activated by massaging the liver, which is in charge of the muscles.
Naturally, the effect of increasing the immune function of the body can be also expected.
For this reason, it is recommended to do abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing. If you practice abdominal breathing, which you can easily do on your own anywhere, without the help of others, it will help you live a healthy life.
In addition, you can hold your breath between exhaling and inhaling during abdominal breathing, but if done incorrectly, side effects such as headaches may occur. Therefore, whether you are a beginner or someone who has practiced for a long time, it is recommended to breathe in the form of repeating the movements of inhaling and exhaling comfortably, without intention to achieve too much, and putting any strain on the body.