Cool Down Breath
Spending as little as 10 minutes a day consciously practicing diaphragmatic breathing can help improve many aspects of your movement quality.
Being able to breathe with your diaphragm:
Is essential for an optimally functioning core
Eases chronically tight neck, shoulders and back muscles
Supports nervous system regulation
Here is is one of my personal favorite ways to practice diaphragmatic breathing:
Lie on your back. Place a pillow under your head and shoulders if needed. Get comfortable.
Breathe in and out through your nose. Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth and allow the root of your tongue to relax back. Keep your teeth gently touching if you can.
Inhale for 4 seconds. As you inhale, keep your neck, shoulders and chest relaxed. Expand your lower rib cage and your entire waistline. Do not keep your belly pulled in; allow it to soften. Make sure that your lower ribs are also expanding. Only moving your belly is not a diaphragmatic breath. Your rib cage AND your waistline both must expand on your inhale.
Then, exhale for 6 - 8 seconds. Feel your lower rib cage retract as you reach the end of your exhale. If you have to gasp your next inhale, your exhale was too long. You don’t have to get all the air out of your lungs. Simply make your exhale a little bit longer than your inhale.
By focusing on a slightly longer exhale, you are helping your nervous system move out of “fight + flight” and into “rest + digest” mode. There are several pathways at play here, but of note is that when you exhale, your heart rate naturally slows down.
Try this breathing for 2 - 10 minutes at a time, accumulating 10 minutes per day.