Vertical versus horizontal breathing (DW#687)
Are you a vertical breather or a horizontal breather?
Vranich Belisa, whom we discussed yesterday, separates "Vertical Breathers" (whose shoulders rise and fall when they breathe) and "Horizontal Breathers" (whose shoulders stay stable while their belly and lower ribs go in and out when breathing).
If our shoulders rise and fall when we breathe, we are vertical breathers and this means that we breathe high up in our bodies. This is not optimal.
When we breathe horizontally, we will notice that it is our rib cage that expands when we use our diaphragms to breathe properly. This is what we need to aim for.
So go ahead and watch yourself breathe in front of the mirror. Are your shoulders moving when you breathe? If so, gently put your hands on your rib cage and breathe so that your ribcage expands with each in breath and goes in with each outbreath.
Remember to exhale fully —squeezing every last little bit of stale air out of your body.
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