Deep breathing all the time?

[Erock]

Question: Do any of you guys breathe through your belly all the time? I've been trying to consciously deep breathe all the time, but I find that every time I stop thinking about it, I go back to that shallow chest breathing. So is it possible, or should I forget about it?

Erock

[Zukin]

Hi Erock,

This is one of my goals too, but I sometimes seem to go back to chest breathing when I get nervous. I guess it's like any other habit, which gets better with practice. Maybe one way to get better at it is by spending a vacation day or two trying to focus only on getting better at deep breathing.

[openeyes]

A friend and I have both noticed that our normal breaths are about twice as long as most people's. Regular exercise, meditation, and singing may have something to do with it

[Erock]

So this is possible. I just wanted to see if others had managed to actually make this a subconscious habit. Sweet.

Erock

[dennis08]

Why do you want to breath harder ?

[Matthew Shea]

You don't necessarily need to breathe very deeply all the time. Shallow breaths are all that's required when you're idle. What I think Openeyes is referring to (great advice BTW) is that when you're doing activities that challenge your lung capacity on a regular basis, your body will get more efficient at absorbing and using oxygen, therefore your breathing will become less frequent, not necessarily deeper all the time. When you need the extra capacity, it will be there though.

[Andrew Brunelle]

I agree with Matthew. If you are just sitting around (and not meditating), then you really do not need to be breathing like a madman. I would suggest doing it while walking or running or any other sort of exercise. I do it before I go to sleep as well, as a "final relaxer." I used to do it while sitting around a bunch of people, and they were like, "Is something wrong? Why are you breathing so deep?" I was like, "Supposedly the more oxygen I get in my body, the more energy I'll have," or something to that effect.

If you truly are having trouble doing it all the time, it is because it hasn't become your default yet. You breathed shallow for X number of years, with X being your age, and you can't expect instant results when you are not thinking about it. Make it a habit, do a 30-day challenge, or whatever habit-forming software you have at your disposal. You could PhotoRead a book on breatharianism.

Or to take a quote from Fight Club:

Tyler Durden: Oxygen gets you high. In a catastrophic emergency, you're taking giant panicked breaths. Suddenly you become euphoric, docile. You accept your fate. It's all right here. Emergency water landing - 600 miles an hour. Blank faces, calm as Hindu cows.

[sadavis00]

I don't think this should be a priority goal. But, sighing is great stress relief when done occasionally.