Learn to fill your lungs more efficiently
Check yourself
- Put one hand on your chest, the other just below the ribcage.
- Take slow, deep breaths and see which hand moves the most.
- It should be the one on your ribcage – meaning you are using your diaphragm to breathe, rather than your chest. Chest breathing makes your body stressed.
Then practise
- Get comfy on a bed or chair, with loose clothing.
- Sigh out through your mouth – it’ll relax your shoulders and neck muscles.
- Take slow, gentle deep breaths down to the bottom of your lungs. Breathe in through the nose and out through the nose and mouth.
- Slow your breath down further, checking that your ribcage is still moving more than your chest.
- Aim to practise for five minutes each day. You can also use it to relax any time you get tense.
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