Perhaps you know that the average person takes around 20,000 breaths per day. It's something we all do constantly without even thinking about it. But did you know that learning to breathe better and more efficiently can have an amazing impact on your overall health, wellbeing and quality of life?
As we get older, conditions like heart disease, obesity, anxiety, arthritis, and respiratory issues can make it harder to take full, deep breaths from the diaphragm. Shallow "chest breathing" becomes the norm. This type of inefficient breathing can deprive your body of optimal oxygen levels and allow carbon dioxide to build up. But the good news is, relearning diaphragmatic breathing (from your belly) can provide a wealth of life-changing benefits:
Disease Prevention - Improving your oxygen intake and exhaling toxins helps protect against high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, depression and more. Proper breathing has been shown to boost immunity too! Breathing deeply can actually increase your blood oxygen level by as much as 15%.
Improved Quality of Life - Better, deeper breathing means better sleep, digestion, mental clarity, focus and mood. It can increase energy levels, ease arthritis and back pain, reduce stress and anxiety, and cultivate an overall sense of calm. In fact, studies show consistent breathwork can be as effective as medication for some conditions like anxiety and insomnia.
More Mobility & Independence - Learning breathwork will help you get way more out of activities like walking, stretching, exercising and performing daily tasks. You'll feel stronger, steadier on your feet, and more flexible. Breathing properly can even help prevent falls! And get this - improper breathing while bending and lifting can actually increase your risk of injury by up to 40%.
At our studio, we're now offering monthly Relax and Restore workshops to teach you the amazing benefits of diaphragmatic breathing. You'll learn breath control techniques, breathing exercises, and how to develop a regular breathwork practice, as well as experimenting with foam rollers and different stretching techniques. Many participants of our last workshop provided us with positive feedback and are really looking forward to the next one!