Have you ever thought about the breaths you take? We often think of breathing as something that happens exclusively in the lungs, but in reality breathing involves many more muscles.

Your body is efficient and different muscles are designed to help you breathe at different times. When you are running a race or trying to catch the bus, your chest and neck muscles will be used to help obtain a larger quantity of air to support greater physical exertion. If you are sitting at home watching tv or working at a desk, both which do not require extra air to supply your body, the diaphragm is designated as your main breathing muscle.

You may have heard the concept of breathing into your stomach, however the importance may not be fully understood. To find out whether you are a chest or belly breather, take a look in the mirror and place one hand on your upper chest and one on your stomach. When you inhale, do your shoulders rise or your chest move outward? In an ideal world, your shoulders and chest should stay quiet and your stomach should expand with each breath in. You should observe or feel your hand on your chest remaining calm, and your bottom hand being pushed outward by your belly. This belly breath will allow the chest/neck muscles to relax as they become less active.

Expanding your stomach in all directions with each breath is something to work towards, and is an attainable goal. Check back for part 2 of our breath series to learn about the benefits of diaphragmatic breathing!