The first step in learning how to breathe properly is conscious breathing.
This is where you sit and perform deep, diaphragmatic breaths for a set period of time.
Thing is, the effectiveness of this technique is overestimated, because as you go about your day to day life, you’ll revert back to your faulty, autopilot, breathing patterns.
That’s why things like Wim Hof, diaphragmatic breathing, and other techniques come up short.
But… This is where biofeedback comes in.
Setting up a biofeedback mechanism provides you with constant feedback of how you’re breathing, whether you’re at the grocery store, driving to work, or at the gym.
You’ll always be completely aware of how you’re breathing.
The second portion of this phase is about releasing tight muscles of the diaphragm as well as releasing tension in other muscles of respiration.
See,
Scientists have noted time and time again that faulty breathing patterns can create tension in connective tissue. And this tension restricts airflow.
One example of this can be seen in people with inverted breathing patterns.
People with inverted breathing patterns actually tighten their abdomens as they breathe in. This creates a vicious cycle of shallow breathing, as not only do they not expand their diaphragm as they breathe, but they actually make the muscles of the diaphragm tighter with every breath they take.
On the other hand...
Breathing specialists have also noticed that postural dysfunctions, like upper crossed syndrome and kyphotic posture, can promote faulty breathing by crushing the lungs, displacing the trachea, and more.
With the corrective exercises my friend showed me, I was able to release the tension in my muscles of respiration to open up my airway and breathe like a newborn baby.