I Invented A New Exercise For Reduced Breathing, Your Take On It?

[Xisca]

I was usually doing some reduced breathing, but I did not like to do them because of the stress on the diaphragm. I do not know how to breathe slowly without having to control a lot the movement of the diaphragm, especially on the exhale, that should be relaxing. I considere that the inhale only is the muscle effort.

Very often, as the CO2 increase does relax, I could feel the relax as if I was sunking deeper into myself, and it caused a SIGH.
Sighs are not supposed to be in the Buteyko method, as far as I read about it. Sighs and yawns are deeper breathing, so not reduced at all!

BUT, they are also signs of an increase in the parasympathic side of the autonomic nervous system... So I always welcome them, and notice them consciously, when they occur. I am not in favor of controling and stopping them at all.

One day I had a lot, and decided to try a different exercise, and this is what I now often do.
It is VERY relaxing and ENJOYABLE.
I feel it as a real rest of the diaphragm.

Easy, I do ONLY sighs and yawns.
And stay relax asif doing CP, the rest of the time.
I usually breathe 3 times per minute when I do this.

So, I measure my CP, when I swallow as a reflex, I let myself breathe in, it ends up as a sigh, and sometimes as a yawn, I really let it be as it wants.
It finishes with a sort of exhale that is a real relax, I can feel that muscles are going at rest.
Then I stay in a lung-empty state, 15 seconds at the moment.
Then I have a spontaneous inbreathe and sigh, etc.

I can go on with this sort of CPs a long way, that is usually not posible. I have no hyperventilation because I breathe in fully but not fast. It is only the end of it that goes into a sigh or a yawn.
Another proof of non hyperventilating is that sighs and yawns do not happen when hyperventilating.
The other aspect is that the exhale feels as effortless.

If you have noticed, or try to ask people this question: In the breathing pattern, what is the effort, the inhale or the exhale? People answer the exhale, which is the reverse! Outbreathing is felt as an effort, and that is what I wanted to change.

Thus, the diaphragm can REST!

 

[InChristAlone]

Very interesting! Yes a yawn can mean relaxation which is a good thing. So it is cool you are able to switch into that mode at will.

 

[Heidi]

I will try your exercise Xisca. I need a practice that is very relaxing and enjoyable as that is the mode that I am in now. Was this new exercise the thing that got your CP back up to 30?

People who understand the physical mechanics of how the diaphragm works, all say that there should be a slight effort on the inhale and no effort at all on the exhale. I have a subtle tendency to push at the beginning of my exhale, which isn't good.

 

[Xisca]

there should be a slight effort on the inhale and no effort at all on the exhale.

Exactly.
But ask anyone which of the 2 is the effort, and people will answer that the effort is on the exhale!
As we inhale because we need it, people feel that it is very spontaneous and not an effort...

 

[Xisca]

Was this new exercise the thing that got your CP back up to 30?

Maybe, plus some walking etc, as I always keep my mouth closed, and live in a steep place.

I insist that it is necessary to not hyperventilate!
I can feel that I tense my diaphragm without taking a lot of air, and even at the end of the inhale, I do not take air at all, and the yawn comes and I let the diaphragm relax, but there is no noisy exhale either.

It is really relaxing, and the muscle is very quiet, feels like a meditation really.

I am having some osteo working on the ribs and diaphragm. I did not know why I had some tension in the upper part of the belly, the abdominal muscles, and now I think it might come from the reduced breathing. It is difficult to reduce "not too much". I tended to have an increase of my heart beats, thus some stress induced... I do not want to reduce my pulse either, as it is only just below 60!

 

[tara]

I agree with you that it is best that the exhalation is allowed to be relaxed, and that that there can be a pause with relatively empty lungs before the next inhalation is needed.
AIUI, think this is consistent with Buteyko's and Rakhimov's descriptions of reduced breathing too.

Another proof of non hyperventilating is that sighs and yawns do not happen when hyperventilating.

Maybe that is the case for you, but I don't think that is true generally. Both sighing and yawning can sometimes be part of a pattern of hyperventilating, and I've seen that in myself.

 

[Xisca]

Maybe that is the case for you, but I don't think that is true generally. Both sighing and yawning can sometimes be part of a pattern of hyperventilating, and I've seen that in myself.

This is because there are 2 way of doing so:
1 is with a release and more exhale
the other is uncomplete, with more inhale!
This one is an intent of the body to relax, but that the nervous system does not succeed yet in reaching.

We see both in SE sessions.

So this is logical, if the relax and exhale are not fine, and if the inhale is strnger, yes there is hyperventilation.

 

[Xisca]

I agree with you that it is best that the exhalation is allowed to be relaxed, and that that there can be a pause with relatively empty lungs before the next inhalation is needed.
AIUI, think this is consistent with Buteyko's and Rakhimov's descriptions of reduced breathing too.

Yes this is what they say, but reduced breathing is with a reduced inhale, which not easy to dosificate.
Reduce air intake obviously reduce the contraction of the diaphragm. Thus it becomes harder to exhale with no stress, because you do it against the body want to complete a full breath. Of course there is a learned pattern, no deny of this! And I agree about what to change so that the brain reset the tolerance to CO2.

After all, we want to modify, by conscious exercices, the unconscious pattern that is out of reach of consciousness, incluiding when we sleep.

 

[Xisca]

Today some more headache, but different, no migraine.
I am a Little bit dehydrated, and my forehead was hurting.

And it worked too.

I do between 2 and 3 breathings per minute. So even if I yawn, my air volumen intake cannot be high! BTW, the yawnings go away after a while, they settle.
+ I can add that part of the yawning does not include any air movement, but belly and jaw "exercice"!

Now I am outside, as I do not connect at home, and I had to walk, so I did it walking, and I got really relaxed. It felt like inhale, exhale, pause, inhale, exhale, pause. Yawns when they came by themselves. I usually inhale when I swallow, same as in a control pause.

I always stay very conscious of the momento of pause, so that I can come into contact with the fact that my belly is relaxed. I enjoy this, I appreaciate to its great value.

 

[Xisca]

Up to date with results!
I did this in the bus, as I have time there....

First I did breathe in, out, pause, swallow, breathe in, let it go into a yawn when it felt like it, and go on.

There is always a moment I go down into some more peaceful state, and the pause gets longer and easier. Yawn less...

RESULT:
I ended doing like the control pause endlessly, with a 25 second pause.
10 minutes (because then I went out of the bus).
Slight breathe in and out of a total of 5 seconds, and a CP of 25s.
That would be not bad in itself, but I did it 20 times in a row...

 

[PKS]

This breathing looks very effective! I think the yawn is a signal by the body that it is relaxing, as Elsa Gindler school would say. Your breathing pattern is changing for the better when you yawn. It seems to be a good sign.

 

[Xisca]

I think the yawn is a signal by the body that it is relaxing, as Elsa Gindler school would say.

And as we say in SOmatic Experiencing too!
Yes it is a sign of relax, but only when the expire is long and complete.
Sometimes yawning can be unconmplete, it is an intent of the body, but one does not succeed in relaxing. Anyway it is not conscious nor voluntary, you can induce relaxing, but it has to come by itsellf... or else, it does not help and is useless in the long term.

 

[PKS]

Yes it is a sign of relax, but only when the expire is long and complete.

Very interesting point! And as you are saying, the involuntary nature the activity points to a sound approach based on the stimulus-response paradigm.
good to learn, thanks!

 

[milk_lover]

I have noticed a trend in the forum. Women tend to be more concerned about breathing techniques. Why no man is interested in this? I speak for myself when I say I don't care so much about breathing techniques. Maybe I should?

 

[Xisca]

Very interesting point! And as you are saying, the involuntary nature the activity points to a sound approach based on the stimulus-response paradigm.
good to learn, thanks!

Thanks, being useful is a very nive feeling!

When it is involuntary, it means that the "inner wise", our autonomic system, is the one that is doing it, and it is in charge of relaxation, and also digestion, immune system, when we are relaxed.
So, sighs and yawns are transition to a more parasympathetic state.
And here, we are all looking for ways to have a better metabolism and digestion !

@milk_lover I have seen men here discuss about breathing...
What I see in life, is that men are less prone to personal work for their nervous system. They tend to think more that it has to work by itself and thats it. Of course not all, but when I go to a course, there are ALWAYS much more women than men!

But yes breathing is important, because CO2 regulates many things, and also because more CO2 brings a more relaxed/parasympathic state. Which allows you to digest better, and have a better immune system, etc.

That is why I tried this idea of reaching a nice reduced breathing with YAWNINGS.

I repeat that I reached to stay 10 mns breathing normally in five or six seconds, and stay more or less 25 seconds in expiratory apnea.
This time with no yawnings, as this stage was over, I was relaxed.

This is quite good in terms of Buteyko technique, as it is a repeated CP (Control Pause), and even per se, a CP of 25 seconds is already quite good. But repeating it 10 mns....


The + is that I was feeling very peaceful.