Uptake of oxygen occurs primarily during exhalation. One example is box or square breathing. Within reason, the longer the exhale is extended, the more oxygenation can occur, and thus, the more oxygen that goes into the blood and eventually the cells, which ultimately leads to having more energy and vitality. Cutting the exhale short will result in less energy and increase the cost of respiration. 

Another problem is that a two-second exhale does not allow enough time for a person to exhale completely. A full resting exhalation triggers a natural reflex in breath, which aids the next exhale and inhale to be deeper, easier, and with less effort. This deep, easy in-breath stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation, therefore helping to alleviate stress and anxiety.

There are many misconceptions about what a healthy breathing rate should be. Some breathing exercises may tell people to breathe slowly and deeply at 12 breaths per minute. However, an optimal breathing rate during relaxation is actually about 4 to 6 breaths per minute! 

A breathing rate that is too fast (especially if it is predominantly in the high chest) may often result in hyperventilation or over-breathing, in which the body undergoes respiratory chemistry imbalance as it is purged of carbon dioxide. This causes the blood vessels to constrict and actually deliver less oxygen to the cells. 

Thus, hyperventilation and/or hypocapnia actually result as the body is deprived of oxygen. Too fast a breathing rate invites a host of health problems, such as anxiety, panic attacks, stress, nervousness, strokes, and high blood pressure. Slow breathing exercises that are telling people to breathe slowly and deeply at 12 breaths per minute are simply a contradiction. This can be overcome with certain techniques and breathing exercises in our Optimal Breathing Kit.

Another issue is that most breathing exercise teachers seem to assume that people actually know how deep abdominal breathing feels. However, for various reasons, most people really don’t know what proper, deep, diaphragmatic breathing feels like. Actually, many, when asked, demonstrate the opposite of a healthy diaphragmatic breath. 

These people have spent years with poor breathing habits and attempting abdominal deep breathing exercises may not help them since their body will not allow them to breathe abdominally at all. For these people, their body has become locked up and constricted, and so any attempt at deep breathing exercises may still result in high chest breathing since that is the way their body is used to breathing. 

 The exercises will not be effective for them and may possibly result in hyperventilation or dizziness, thus exacerbating their situation. One exercise that will help these people breathe in the correct place is our C5 “Squeeze & Breathe” exercise included in our Optimal Breathing Kit.

This exercise forces people to breathe into the abdomen since the position and pressure of the hands give the person a place to direct the breath. It should also be noted that the exhale count is at least twice as long as the inhale count, and it can be developed to up to ten times the inhale count. 

This exercise will offer the energy (and relaxation) that many are looking for since it truly instructs the person to breathe properly and into the right places, front, side and back. But more is needed as any same exercise repeated often enough will end up restricting natural breathing. Kind of like stopping the bleeding, but the wound (sub-optimal breathing) will never heal.

The popular belief about breathing associates breathing into the belly with “true deep breathing.” While this is a good place to start, belly breathing does not constitute a “true deep breath.” A full, deep breath expands the body in a 360-degree radius, meaning that during the inhale, the breath also expands into the sides and the back in addition to the belly area. 

Most of the lung volume is actually contained in the back of the body. The belly only comprises about 40% of the total breathing volume. Breathing into the belly will steer the person in a better direction than focusing on the upper chest, but true deep breathing does not end there.

Some breathing exercises will instruct the person to breathe into the belly, then into the middle chest (expanding the ribs), then finally into the high chest. However, breathing should consist of one smooth, continuous motion rather than split into parts. Splitting the breathing into parts may well disrupt the breathing's natural flow, foundation, and balance. This can lead people to be too conscious of their breathing instead of just letting it happen on its own.

Breathing exercises often include forced exhalations. Exhaling forcefully can often cause tension in the belly, which will inhibit deep, easy breathing. Tension in the belly can also exacerbate the startle reflex, which is associated with the activating of the sympathetic, “fight-or-flight” nervous system. 

Sometimes, forced exhalations are included in exercises that deal with voicing and sound production. For example, a humming exercise may instruct the person to squeeze out sound for as long as possible. To avoid creating possible tension, it is better to produce the sound with roughly half of the breath and still have some air left after completing the sound. We learn more about that via the OBWINDOW. 

There are stimulating or “bellows breath” exercises that involve breathing quickly in and out. If done properly in the belly area (hyper-inhalation), it will stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and have an energetic calming effect. But if the bellows breathing is done in the high chest (hyperventilation), this will stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, which can lead to dizziness, vasoconstriction, asthma, migraines, anxiety, phobias, panic and restimulating past abuse and traumas.

Numerous breathing exercises incorporate breath-holding into their instruction. Holding the breath (at the top of the inhale) often causes body tension and breathing restriction and can also adversely affect the voice. One example is box or square breathing.

Mouth breathing is another technique used in many breathing exercises. Forced or audible exhalation through the mouth can lead to exhaling too quickly, which can interfere with oxygen absorption and restrict the triggering of a natural breathing reflex that allows deep, easy breathing. Breathing through the nose will, via back pressure, enable the exhale to last for a longer period of time.

Certain breathing exercises intended for inducing relaxation often include a brief pause after the exhale before the next inhale begins. The pause is when the body rests and prepares for the next breathing cycle. 

Other exercises may require an extended exhale but not extended past where tension resides. I explain this with the Optimal Breathing Window in the breathing kit. These will enhance the breathing reflex and allow easier, deeper (more relaxing) breathing to come in. 

In this way, breathing is allowed to happen automatically without any need for controlling it or TAKING a deep breath. The TAKING or FORCING a deep breath creates the illusion of an adequate relaxing deeper breath but it is not. We need to avoid the repetition of these common pitfalls and allow for easy, deep, relaxing, natural breathing.