Breathe Less.
Charlotte Grysolle
I feel my back pressed against the chair and the warmth of my feet on the hardwood floor. I focus on the slow rise and fall of my belly, controlling the movement of my diaphragm. Up... and down... I start to feel a slight sensation of air hunger but continue
22 Oct 2023
When I breathe normally, without slowing down my breath, I’m at 15 cycles per minute. That makes me a pretty average breather, since most adults are at 12-18 breath cycles. These numbers probably don’t mean much until you know that the “ideal” and most efficient way of breathing is only 5.5 breath cycles per minute.
The reason we keep inhaling so much oxygen, even though we don’t need it, is a result of our modern lifestyle. (Of course, always the same culprit.) Factors such as time urgency, tension, anger, stress, anxiety, overeating, sedentary lifestyles, processed foods, a belief that taking big breaths is good, lack of exercise, excessive talking, high temperatures within the home—these all contribute to our habit of overbreathing.
It’s actually the key that unlocks oxygen from your blood to be used by your brain, heart, and other tissues.
When you expel too much CO2 through excessive exhalation, oxygen is not delivered to your cells in an efficient way.
Start by taking stock of your respiratory rate. Set a timer for 1 minute, and count your breath cycles. For now, don’t change anything about your breath. Breathe how you normally would.
Then spend some time, 2-3 minutes per day, practicing slow, deep breathing. You can do that while sitting down to read, while working, while making coffee