Author of the Art of Breathing, of “L’Art de Respirer” and “L’ABC de la Respiration”, Dominique Lonchant who specialises in Pranayama Yoga has travelled the world for 30 years and taught thousands of students including a few Hollywood stars. Dominique runs breathing workshops around the world and is one of the rare specialists in Art of Breathing. He explained, that in our system, the blood circulates in the arteries, transporting oxygen as well nutrients everywhere. It is easy to understand what will happen if the blood flow doesn’t contain enough nutrients: TOTAL STARVATION! And this is what happens with the “superficial breathers (that’s 95% of us).
Here are a few steps towards breathing better:
How can I breathe better at work?
When at work for 8-9 hours, your arms are extended and very little blood flow goes through your body. Very little oxygen goes to the rest of your limbs and you’ll excrete more CO2.
Ever heard of the Breathing Diet?
The Long Breath Diet is believed to increase muscle strength and to boost the metabolism by increasing blood oxygen levels. Here are two ways made popular by a Japanese former actor, Miki Ryosuke.
Breathing Method One:
- Tense the buttocks while standing with one foot in front of the body and place most of the body’s weight on the back foot.
- Hold this position, inhale for three seconds while lifting their arms above their head.
- They are then told to breathe out while tensing all of their muscles for seven seconds.
Breathing Method Two:
- Standing upright while tightening the buttocks and placing one hand on the stomach, and the other on the bottom of their back.
- Inhale for three seconds before breathing out for seven seconds, all of the time holding in the stomach.
How does breathing really help us lose weight then?
- Fat is made up of oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen. When the oxygen we breathe reaches these fat molecules, it breaks them down into carbon dioxide and water.
- Blood then picks up the carbon dioxide – a waste product of our bodies – and returns it to the lungs to be exhaled. Therefore the more oxygen our bodies use, the more fat we will burn.
- However, most experts believe that practicing it for just two minutes a day is not sufficient to see any significant weight loss.
What do doctors think about this?
- Deep breathing and gentle exercises for five minutes a day is not going to burn up enough calories to transform body shape.
- Inhaling and exhaling too deeply can disturb the balance between carbon dioxide and oxygen in the body needed to neutralise the blood. This can cause light headedness and even make someone faint.
- Contraction of muscles caused by exercise mobilises fat stores. But it is only vigorous aerobic sport that triggers enough energy to turn fat into fuel. Deep breathing alone will burn up fat by two per cent at best.
In summary, breathing alone isn’t going to get you big results but it’s a good start to be aware, and to help kick start learning how to breathe more efficiently, and incorporating breathing exercises to your exercise routine. One thing for sure – when you breathe better, you’ll feel better!
Nikki Yeo
Nikki Yeo is a safe training movement advocate and also Head of Sports Marketing at GoInternationalGroup.com. Her fitness dogma is founded on the belief that physical fitness makes the greatest impact on our quality of life. She believes that her purpose isn’t just about improving fitness, but about changing lives. Nikki is a Certified Specialist by Functional Movement System, Certified Personal Trainer by American Council on Exercise, Health & Fitness Professional of “Exercise is Medicine” awarded by the American College of Sports Medicine and a Barefoot Training Specialist by Evidence Based Fitness Academy America. For more about Nikki, visit www.nikkiyeo.com
