Soft belly, soft face

We're a nation of chest breathers. Like it or not, know what I'm talking about or not, it's probably true!

Take a look and see; sit comfortably and connect with the breath, try to make the inhale and the exhale as even and steady and smooth as possible, take as long as you need. Now, place one hand on the lower belly and one on the chest and begin to feel a connection between these two points of the body, connecting them with the rhythm of the breath. Finally, bring the awareness to the movement of the two hands. Is the lower hand moving more than the upper; or is the hand on the chest moving more than the hand on the belly? If the latter, you like so many, are a chest breather.

I used to commit this terrible crime to my breath, breathing in short shallow bursts no deeper than the tops of my lungs. It's common in sufferers of scoliosis -- our lowered thoracic capacity coupled with the tension in our shoulders and upper backs from the pain brings it on. But it's not just scoliosis that is responsible for breathing into the chest. We all carry so much tension in our upper bodies; necks and shoulders especially and we're all in such a rush to go anywhere that we breath short, sharp breaths -- just enough to give our bodies the oxygen they need to get through the day. But it's never quite enough and the lack of oxygen brings on tiredness, headaches, irritablity and exacerbates that stress in the shoulders and neck. Phew! And all we need to do is take a little time each day to be aware of our breath, be aware of what it is doing, and let that belly be soft!

Flat bellies eh? Overrated. Yes, yes I know, tight abs are meant to look good, and if you've not got them hold them in with miracle pants. But who says that this looks good? While I'm not advocating fat bellies I am advocating loosening the belt, throwing out the miracle pants, giving up on the ab crunches and forgetting the six pack. It's deep transversus abdominal stength that matters, not surface hardness -- surface hardness merely stops us breathing fully into the belly and deep transversus abdominal strength is helped by deep breathing.

To breath fully we need to engage the diaphragm. This membrane that separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity moves up and down on the exhale and inhale. As you inhale fully the diaphragm pushes down on the abdominal organs and the soft belly expands, as you exhale the reverse happens and the belly contracts slightly again. When the belly is moving more than the chest, the diaphragm is working, the breath is more full and you'll be surprised how much calmer and more refreshed this can make you feel.

It takes time and a little effort to break down old breathing habits. It needs 10-15 minutes a day set aside to work with the breath. The most effective practice I have ever found is lying on the floor on your back, the knees bent, feet flat on the floor and hands resting lightly on the lower belly feeling the movements. Try to keep the inhale and exhale the same length and slowly slowly with practice start to relax that belly.

And the best way to relax the lower abdomen enough to allow the diaphragm to work to its full potential is to relax tension elsewhere in the body, especially the face. Let go of the tension in the teeth, jaw, tongue, eyes and the point between the eyebrows. Soft face, soft belly.... and enjoy breathing again!