Breathing Correctly???

[andrewjdavid2005]

I was wondering if i am breathing correctly, i have asthma but alot of the time it feels like i cannot breathe i do not feel breatheless but just like im not breathing at all and my stomach doesnt seem torise very much at all sometimes it just feels like my breathing has stopped.

Am i over breathing or something? i feel like im choking and suffocating as well can someone tell me how to touch my body how to breathe properly and how to do this? what technique i need to use etc.

[nomorepanic]

Hi Andrew

Try this ....

Here are some tips on learning diaphragmatic breathing.

Start while lying on your back. Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly (between navel and ribs). Focus on allowing the belly to rise easily when inhaling and fall when exhaling. HOLD THE CHEST STILL with your hand on your chest. The objective is to breathe all the time with the belly (diaphragm) and not the chest. You are aiming at about 6 breaths per minute.

This is a slow relaxed process. There should be no sense of effort.

If the belly won't move and the chest continues to move, put a weight on the belly between the navel and ribs (where the hand was). A heavy book will do, but something that is not painful and weighs 3 - 5 pounds is best. Focus on allowing the weight to rise on inhale and sink on exhale. Again - no effort!

If still no success, kneel on all fours, i.e., assume a position of a four-legged animal. In this position, the chest tends to be locked in place, forcing the diaphragm to take over the breathing task. Slow and easy, no effort. Once you learn to breathe with your belly, you must practice, practice, practice.

The first week, you should practice for only a few breaths at a time while lying on your back. Then gradually extend the practice time to 15 minutes. When this can be done comfortably, you should start to practice while sitting. Then standing. Then walking.

After you can breathe with the belly in all positions, you should practice in different situations. Start with easy situations like sitting in a car. Then sitting in a restaurant. Progress until you can breathe with the belly in situations that previously felt un-natural and uncomfortable.

IMPORTANT: If at any time during the breathing training, you feel dizzy or light-headed, then stop the exercise, rest, and try again in a few minutes. The breathing training is not about being tough or facing your fear. It is about learning to breathe to normalize the bodily functions.



Nicola

[Meg]

Andrew,

It might be that you're not over breathing but breathing very shallowly. We all breathe to shallowly for calmness most of the time.

There is no risk at all of you just stopping breathing or not getting enough air- our innards are far too clever for that but when breathing shallowly it can feel like this.

Follow Nics exercises and see how you do ..

You are not alone in these concerns

SOB: Cant get any air in (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=961)
SOB: general anxiety (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2576)
SOB: Reverse panic (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2246)
SOB and Asthma: Breathing!! (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3276)
Everyone please read this!!!!! ( breathing weird ) (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3298)


Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...

[andrewjdavid2005]

Thanks for your replies, so is breathing shallowly a bad thing or anything to worry about, obviously i dont think my body will stop breathing as i dont think there is any chance of that well i dont think so anyway unless i had something else wrong with me.

[Meg]

Glad you answered your own question there....

Its certainly not anything to worry about but if you could learn to breathe deeper as a habit, you're not as likely to get anxious as quickly and it makes it far easier to calm down.



Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...