So, how would you know if your breathing was supporting you in every way possible – or if you are sub-ventilating and creating problems for your body?

These simple questions may help understand your relationship with your breathing…

When I am in a stressful situation my usual tendency is:

• I become tense in my body and reduce my breath until I feel as if I am hardly breathing at all.
• I breathe in and out vigorously through the mouth. I feel energised but this sometimes results in emotional or physical outbursts.
• I take long calm deep nose breaths in and out of my body and allow the stress sensations to move through my body.

When I take a long deep breath (practice with a hand on your stomach and a hand on your chest):

• My chest fills with breath but little or no movement lower down my body to my belly.
• My belly fills with breath but I cannot feel much movement in my chest area.
• I can see and feel movement in my belly, then my ribcage and finally my chest and shoulders are filled with breath.

When I breathe normally I notice:

• My inhale is stronger than my exhale – it seems as if I resist completely ‘letting go’ in life, there is always something holding me back from complete relaxation.
• My exhale goes on longer and I sometimes feel not quite present – my challenge is getting committed to things and taking them to completion.
• My inhale and my exhale are completely balanced. I breathe continuously without interruption and experience complete relaxation.

If you responded 1or 2 to any of the questions above, then breathwork will probably support you to open up to more healthy ways of breathing. If you answered 3 to all questions – your breathing is supporting you well, why not train as a breathwork practitioner and support others to do the same!

Written by Natalia Brown  www.firstbreath.co.uk