Tag: breathing

Out of Breath Wearing Your Mask? Breathwork Can Help!

by seedoflifechiro, posted in Health

Masks- The New Fashion Accessory

Cloth Masks to help reduce droplet transmission

Mask wearing has become more common and even required in some areas. I don’t know about you, but I have them in many colors, styles, and probably most importantly kinds of ties. Some of you are sewists who have made masks by the dozens for friends, family, donation, or sale. 

We are being encouraged to wear them to slow the spread of Covid19 and help to keep each other safe. Like most things, masks come with some trade-offs that it is important to know about.

Mask wearing can be linked to increased anxiety as well as a buildup of CO2 in our bodies.

Anxiety

Dr. Samelak wearing a mask in her office Seed of Life Chiropractic and Wellness

Wearing a mask changes breathing dynamics. Breathing through a mask- especially a thicker cloth mask or N95 mask can feel difficult. The additional effort to breathe can trigger anxiety in those prone to panic attacks. Being able to slow and take more efficient breaths can be helpful in managing this trigger. For decades, healthcare workers have managed to adapt to breathing through different kinds of masks- we can too! Skip to the breathing section of this blog if you would like some tips on breath work. 

Hypercapnia- Too Much CO2

What most of you have probably noticed is that you are fatigued after wearing a mask for more than a few minutes. You might find yourself gasping for air when you take it off. Or yawning while you wear it. Your cheeks may be rosy or flushed. Sometimes you might have a headache and aren’t sure if it is from the ties behind your neck or ears. 

In more extreme cases you may notice that your pulse is bounding, a sense of confusion, premature heartbeats, muscle twitches, dyspnea (shortness of breath), and increased blood pressure. All of these symptoms are known as hypercapnia. Wearing a mask means that we are re-breathing our own exhalation- increasing the amount of Carbon Dioxide that we are breathing.

During normal respiration, you breathe in oxygen rich air and expel carbon dioxide on your exhale. The lungs have an exchange system with your blood to keep this pattern going. When we wear a mask, the amount of CO2 that we breathe in is higher- known as hypoventilation. This leads to a condition called respiratory acidosis. 

The human  body is a brilliant machine and works diligently to correct the acidosis by calling on the kidneys to hang onto or retain alkali. This is a buffering system to aid the body in times of stress. It is not a long term solution. 

It is vital for us to support our oxygenation through breathwork at this time to help our bodies stay in balance. I have added daily breathing practice to my routine to help counteract many hours of mask-wearing in my office.

Breathing Balances our Oxygenation

Breathwork helps to improve our capacity to oxygenate. It helps us to tap into our rest and digest (parasympathetic) nervous system. AKA breathing helps with stress management!!! Breathing helps to keep our cells nourished and our ribs moving. It benefits so many vital parts of our bodies. 

Simple Steps to Start Breathing

Always begin by making sure that you are in a safe space for breath work and relaxation where you can take your mask off. I like to incorporate a quick breathing practice right in my car after leaving work or the grocery store.

There are many breathing teachers and techniques- even professionals like Naturopaths who provide biofeedback to help you find your best breathing potential. However, there are simple things you can try at home to start improving your breathing. 

Positions for Breathing

Seated breathing position with ribs and pelvis stacked and chin tucked.

Seated on the floor you may choose to put a cushion under your bottom to raise yourself up a few inches. This could be a folded blanket, a meditation cushion, or a yoga bolster. Sit criss-cross applesauce and, again, stack your rib cage over your pelvis and tuck in your chin. Place your hands palms up on your knees.

Seated in a chair with your sit bones in contact with the chair surface. Stack your rib cage over your pelvis and tuck in your chin. Ground your heels into the floor. Place your hands, palms up, in your lap.

Supine (on your spine) is my favorite. I like to find a 90/90 position where my heels are resting on the couch or a chair, knees and hips bent at 90 degrees. Hands may be at your sides, palms up or you can rest your hands, palms down, on your rib cage to tune in to your breathing patterns. You should feel your spine relax in this position.

Breathing Patterns

There are many strategies for breathing and even apps that help you to breathe rhythmically- which helps to stimulate rest and relaxation. Some of my favorites include box breathing and prolonged exhalation.

Box breathing is breathing on a 4 or 5 count. Inhale for 4, hold your breath for 4, exhale for 4, and hold for 4. Repeat this for a minimum of 4 cycles. 

Prolonged exhalation breathing works on training the exhalation- a great way to calm your nervous system. It is best to use a timer for this type of breathing and work to expand your range. A general rule of thumb is to plan your exhalation to be twice as long as your inhale. I started with breathing in for 5 seconds and out for 10- for a minimum of 5 minutes. 

Types of Breathing

Improving your style of breathing is valuable as well. Check out the breathing types below and see where you fall. 

Many people are chest breathers. This means that they breathe by using their neck and chest muscles and you can see their chest rise and fall with each breath. Chest breathing turns on the fight or flight response. This type of breathing is more like panting and is not efficient.

Belly breathers use their diaphragm, this is most common in trained singers. This type of breathing is more functional and helps to tap into the parasympathetic nervous system. Here, you will see the belly rise with each inhalation and drop with the exhale. 

Functional breathing engages not just the diaphragm, but the entire rib cage. In ideal breathing patterns, the ribs will expand in 360 degrees, raising like the handle on a bucket. The diaphragm is engaged, and even the pelvis opens on the inhale. This type of breathing is most easily seen in children. It can be trained using breathing drills and exercises. 

Some of my favorite exercises for breathing include:

Lewitt

Dead Bug

Supine 90/90

Straw Breathing

Tips for Mask Wearing:

  • Make sure that your mask is clean or has a new filter paper in it.
  • Wear your mask only when you must- this means you need not wear it in your car when driving.
  • Don’t hesitate to take a “breathing break” when you have to wear a mask for an extended period of time. Find a safe space or step outside then take at least 5 deep breaths.
  • Be sure that you are not touching your face or mask to avoid spreading any germs.
  • Follow CDC guidelines for cleaning your mask appropriately between uses.

As always, this blog is intended for educational purposes only. Please consult with your Chiropractor, PT, or Primary Care Physician to determine what steps may be right for you. 

Dr. Samelak is a Family Wellness Chiropractor in Seattle, WA. She loves serving families and helping them to reach their greatest potential. If you are looking for a Chiropractor near you, please reach out to us for help!

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Resources:

The Place Between Breaths

by seedoflifechiro, posted in Health

The past week has been a very stressful one for me, personally. I am having a lot of things going on in my family and have been relying heavily upon meditation, journaling, and exercise to elevate mood and keep myself centered. These are techniques learned through trial and error and through many different teachers that have come to be a solid basis of self-support for me.

This would be an incredibly long blog post if I ran through all three, so we will zero in on meditation today.

****Disclaimer****
I have never trained formally in meditation, but I do practice regularly. Scroll all the way to the end for sources of additional information on meditation and resources to help you find your own path.

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Meditation is incredibly easy in concept and difficult in practice. It comes in different forms. It can be guided. It can be mediated by the inhale. It can focus on the exhale. It can even be focused around the space in between the breath- that little moment between inhalation and exhalation where stillness takes place. Below I am outlining 3 of my favorite kinds of meditation techniques.

Self-guided meditation (envisioning your greatest self)

I learned about this type of meditation at the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association’s Freedomfest in 2014. Dr. Joe Dispenza spoke about the power of the brain and about his book, You Are The Placebo. I am about 1/3 of the way through this book and am learning a lot about how we make our thoughts become a reality. But I digress…

Each morning, I take 9 minutes (the time between my alarm and my snooze) and meditate. Before my feet touch the ground. Before I check my email. Before I let the world take me away from the peace of rest. I meditate. I begin by remembering back to a time when I was truly, completely, sincerely joyful down into and out from the core of my being. Once I have that moment, I allow that feeling to surge through my body and make its way all the way from the crown of my head to the tips of my fingers and toes. Thus embraced in a moment of pure joy, I picture my physical self in total fitness. My best self. I choose the facial expression, the shine of my hair, the tone of my muscles- you get the picture. And I let these two things come together. The Joy and the Best Physical Self.

This lets me step backward and see myself as I truly am.

Some days this is incredibly easy and I can slip right into that state of joy and gratitude and wellness. Other days I have just found the joyful moment when the alarm sounds. No matter what, I accept what my practice was and take it forward into the activities of the day.

Meditation with Outside Guidance

A couple of years ago, I did a series with Deepak Chopra and Oprah about mindfulness. It was a series of guided meditations and journaling from Deepak. I had never done meditation guided by another person before- and have discovered that it is a great way for me to get to meditate when I am having a hard time finding my own quiet. Deepak has a ton of meditations (even on Spotify and Pandora) that you can listen to and follow along. He walks you through your meditation from what to do with your feet and hands to your breathing. It is incredibly helpful, especially for the crazy busy type A person. When I am having trouble stepping out of my life and into my heart space, I turn to  Deepak.

“To make the right choices in life, you have to get in touch with your soul. To do this, you need to experience solitudem which most people are afraid of because in the silence you hear the truth and know the solutions.”

– Deepak Chopra

Silent, Breath Focused, Meditation

I am not really sure how to describe this one. Breath focused meditation is exactly what it sounds like. You are aiming to find stillness with focus on nothing except the breath- be it the inhale, the exhale, or the pause. This is not to say that there will be no thoughts in your head and that you have to reach a place where you are totally blank. It means, that we acknowledge the thought and let it pass without our focus. I generally prefer to focus on the space in between the breath because otherwise I find myself trying to control the tide of my breathing. (Type A much?) I have found that this type of meditation does not at all come easily to me and that I do best with it after yoga or a good workout. As though I have to get out the physical energy before I can bring my focus internally. I have also found that practicing in a group/structured setting helps me with breath meditation. To improve my skills in this, I have visited many Buddhist temples for meditation practice.

I still find that I do my best meditation in nature (see the photo at the top of this post). Something about the stillness of the forest makes it easier for me to find my own stillness.

What all of this boils down to is this: We as humans have an incredibly hectic and chaotic way of life. We focus so much external energy that we often deplete ourselves. There are many ways to take care of yourself. Some people schedule resort vacations where they can recharge their batteries with sun, sand, and tropical drinks. Some people work out. Some people camp and hike. I would suggest, though, that we take a second to assess ourselves and make sure that we are taking care of ourselves routinely. Meditation is an excellent way to stay centered and focused.

For years my mom told me that I needed to meditate or at least take quiet time for myself. I brushed her off and coped in different ways. It wasn’t until I was sitting on the floor after work one day crying and feeling so far away from myself that I began to pursue meditation as a technique to come home to me. Now, my husband will sometimes look at me concerned and say, “Have you been meditating lately? You don’t seem like yourself.”

I hope you find something of use in this post that you can apply to your life- or even that it inspires you to research another form of self empowerment and fulfillment. If you want to chat about it or learn more about any of the practices that I do, please feel free to contact me through my website!

Resources:

Dr. Joe Dispenza‘s webpage where you can see his books. I also recommend following him on Facebook!

Some tips on meditation for beginners. They broke this down a lot more succinctly than I could!

Bold Tranquility is a Yoga Nidra meditation designed for women. I have had many patients rave about her work!

Deepak Chopra‘s website for a 21 day meditation experience (I love just about everything he does…)

So many more resources are out there! What is your favorite meditation practice or resource?