More breathing myths

The standard instruction often given a freaked out person is "Take a deep breath." But, so I've learned with my breathing work - specifically Buteyko, that can be the route to hyper-ventilation and an asthma attack.So it's actual counterproductive, although well intentioned.

Donna Farhi in her excellent "The Breathing Book" deals with a couple of others - holding your tummy in to look good and holding it in to prevent sore backs. She writes:

Two myths about your belly

1. Relaxing your belly will make it bigger.

There is a strong belief system in Western countries that constantly holding in the belly keeps the abdominal muscles strong. This belief rides in tandem with the notion that a pulled in abdomen looks better. A contemporary women's magazine featuring a truncated figure in "panty slimmers" lingerie, boasts that wearing a girdle will "target your tummy to control you where you need it most" and asks us to "think of it as a beautiful alternative to holding your breath." But we don't need panty slimmers. Most of us are already wearning a self-imposed psychic girdle most of the time that is far more damaging and powerful than any girdle - we walk around with our stomachs held in and don't even realise it.

The simple fact is that holding the abdominal muscles in a constant state of contraction causes them to WEAKEN. In order for any muscle to function effectively it has to completely relax between contractions. This holds true for the abdominal muscles. In free breathing they alternatively swell and retract, allowing fresh nutrients to circulate through the muscles, and toxic waste products to be flushed out. This not only keeps the abdominal muscles strong, it helps the body to assimilate and eliminate - both functions that aid weight loss. Relaxing your abdomen doesn't meant letting it hang out in a completely flaccid state; it means letting your belly move so that you experience both the relaxation and tonus phase of the breath cycle.

2. Holding the belly in will prevent back pain

If you've suffered from back pain at any time you may have been told to keep your abdomen pressed back toward the spine ALL THE TIME in an effort to stablilise your spine. It is true that strong abdominal muscles aid the spinal muscles in supporting the back and should be used especially when lifting to stabilise the spine. However, keep the abdomen contracted all the time INCREASES the tension and stiffness in the lower back muscles and if you suffer from back pain it can increase your pain levels. The diaphragm attaches along the front of the lumbar vertebrae, so any constriction in this important breathing muscle will immediately be reflected in the function of the spine. Ironically, the only way the intervertebral discs (the spongy cushions between each vertebrae) can remain thick and healthy is by imbibing fluid through movement since there is not direct blood supply to the discs after the second decade. We need movement to keep our back healthy and what better movement than the ongoing massage of our breaths? The oscillation of the breath also provides an effective means of giving traction to the spine, creating space between the bones and thereby reducing nerve impingement, bone degeneration, and arthritic conditions. Allowing your abdomen to move when you breathe is the most effective way to keep your back healthy.