Breathing seems effortless, yet experts agree most of us do it wrong. Tuning into your breath can profoundly calm your body and mind.
You breathe about 16 times a minute—over 23,000 times a day—often without notice. Respiratory experts like Koen de Jong and Rob Koning urge paying attention a few times daily. Conscious breathing techniques can transform your automatic patterns, combating fatigue, lowering blood pressure, easing stress and dizziness, preventing back and neck pain, sparking creativity, and clearing mental fog. These benefits come from a habit you already have.
To master it, consult a respiratory therapist, explore books on techniques, or join guided sessions. Yoga, meditation, and mindfulness, all breath-centric, have long proven effective.
Koen de Jong, co-author of the bestseller Relief with psychiatrist Bram Bakker, sees the rise in breath awareness as a modern necessity. "Today's daily stimuli match a medieval lifetime's worth," he explains, citing studies. Constant alerts from phones, social media, and email keep us wired, while sedentary lives trap the stress. This spikes heart rate, blood pressure, and shallow chest breathing.
Most breathe too high (chest-only) and fast—up to 20 times per minute versus a relaxed 6-10. This goes unnoticed until symptoms arise. Rapid breathing expels excess CO2, narrowing blood vessels and causing headaches, gut issues, dizziness, fatigue, neck pain, and cold extremities. CO2 isn't mere waste; it's vital for oxygen delivery. The fix? Simple breathing exercises that deliver fast relief. Your breath is a potent stress antidote.
"Mr. Breath" Rob Koning, author of Discover the Power of Breathing (2020), learned this firsthand during his burnout. Persistent diaphragm tension resisted exercise until a therapist revealed high chest breathing as the culprit. Targeted exercises released it: "It felt liberating—I could breathe freely again."
Now coaching others, Koning links poor breathing to chronic stress and unprocessed emotions. Stress halts breath momentarily (as when startled) or causes sobbing (in sadness)—natural defenses. Prolonged, it cramps the body, slashing lung capacity to 30%. Deep belly breathing acts like an internal massage, enhancing organ circulation.
Science backs this: University of California researchers found nerve cells linking the brain's respiratory center to stress and alertness regions. Adjust your breath—deep or short—and influence emotions directly. Wim Hof's methods, 80% breath-driven, exemplify this. Proper breathing releases tension and traumas, fostering body awareness in our head-dominated world. Activate with faster breaths; relax with slower ones.
Test yourself: Time one minute and count breaths (inhale + exhale = one). Over 10 sitting relaxed? Too fast. Or try pausing post-exhale—feels off? Likely incorrect. Watch your belly: It should expand. Many, especially women, tense it for aesthetics, mimicking infants' full-torso breaths no more. This restricts airways, forcing shallow chest breathing.
Start now: Calm breaths lower heart rate and oxygenate instantly. Practice anywhere—car, desk, restroom. Tune in amid stress; awareness alone shifts habits.
Sports? Don't pant. De Jong advises dosing intensity: Pause post-exhale while moving? You're optimal—energized, not drained.
This persists weeks, flooding blood with oxygen: tingling, dizziness, fatigue. Often from overstrain or burnout, with 20+ breaths/minute. Seek coaching, physio, or your doctor. Quick fix: Climb stairs holding breath to burn excess oxygen.
Image: Getty Images. Source: Santé May 2019, text: Priscilla Borger
