Breath your way to better health
Traditional Thai massage and Hatha yoga practitioner Fiona Smith explains the straw breathing technique.
You need a straw to breathe through. Get in a comfortable sitting/ lying position. Chronic, shallow chest breathing leads to pain in the upper back, shoulder and neck and also exacerbates RSI injuries. In many lung disorders such as asthma and emphysema, the ability to exhale has been greatly diminished. The exhalation is cut short and then the inhalation is pulled in using ‘accessory’ respiratory muscles instead of the diaphragm.
This way of breathing can lead to more serious lung and heart problems. Straw breathing promotes deeper breathing by lengthening the exhalation. It is also an ideal way to relax, promoting rest and sleep.
- Place the straw in your mouth. Gently hold it there with one hand
- Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth
- When you breath in, touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth to stop yourself from breathing in from your mouth.
- At the end of the exhalation, concentrate on letting the inhalation happen naturally. If you can do this it will feel like a gentle ‘bounce’ up through the centre of your body. Allowing this to happen will make the in breath effortless.
- Continue for three minutes.
contact \Fiona directly at www.fionalsmith.co.uk