The Sound of Your Voice | "SMART Small Talk

Let's Talk Business!

Articles

Current Article

Previous Articles

Download RealPlayer

Subscribe to Receive Our Latest Article!

Privacy Statement

Breathing 101 - "I Know I Don't Breathe Right!"
By Dr. Carol Fleming

Luckily for us, breathing is automatic (or we’d muck it up). Your body knows exactly what it is doing and is always doing its very best under the circumstances. It’s a process we share with all other mammals; your chest enlarges, air is sucked in; the chest relaxes and the air is released. Simple as that, when we let it happen. You’ve probably heard of the ‘diaphragm’ as being a major muscle of respiration. You can feel it if you will pant like a dog and press your hand on your stomach below your ribs. Remember where you found it and that it is not up around your upper chest and shoulders.

We usually take about 13 breathes per minute (BPM) and at rest, 3 to 5. There is equal time between the inhalation (air in) and exhalation (air out) periods. This all changes when we start talking, of course. When we speak we take a lot of air in fast and then let it out in support of our speech. Our bodies know how to take in the right amount of air for the sentences we want to express.

Ideally, we breathe through the nose, and if you cannot do this comfortably, better see an ENT doctor (ear, nose and throat) about it because this is really important. Drawing air through the nose cleans and moistens the air before it hits your lungs. You can probably imagine that that’s a good thing. The most remarkable change happens to the temperature of the air. The air can be ever so cold right in front of your nose, but it will be body temperature by the time it has passed through the internal parts of your nose.

The only way you can really breathe wrong is to try to put too much effort into it, adding tension to the process. You need this effort if you are a competitive swimmer or an opera singer. The rest of us need to develop our sense of relaxed, natural breathing.

Try sitting back comfortably for a while, letting your body breathe easily and think the following thoughts:

Breathing takes place in the uttermost interior of my body, but is in constant and intimate contact with the environment
It is complexly integrated into the totality of my life
It is the sine qua non of life itself. Breathing IS life.
I need to let the ebb and flow of air be centered at my waistline, let my shoulders hang loose and not try to make breathing happen.

If you see/feel your belly naturally rise and fall as a result of your breathing, you are breathing right

Contact us today to discuss how our workshops, coaching and training products can improve your Personal Professionalism and Communication Impact.

Top

Listen to Dr. Fleming

Download RealPlayer