Breathing
Breathing is the most important aspect of successful relaxation. It is important to know what breathing involves:
Muscles attached to the diaphragm (that separates the chest from the abdominal cavities) and between the ribs enable us to inhale (breathe in). Oxygen in the inhaled air diffuses into the blood in the lungs and then circulates to cells all over the body, pumped by the heart. Breathing out is driven normally by elastic lung tissue, which is stretched during inhalation and relaxed during exhalation. Although breathing is autonomic (ie controlled by our nervous system), we can override that process by breathing more deeply or more shallowly as we choose. Breathing can be consciously controlled with breathing exercises.
It is also worth understanding the importance of breathing well, and being aware of the problems that arise from not breathing well:
As Tubbs (2002) stated, ‘Although breathing is the first and last thing we do in our lives, many people do not use their lungs efficiently. This is particularly true in stressful situations, where the tendency is to breathe shallowly’. We need to learn to breathe well because a lot depends on it: our health, our ability to relax and our ability to learn effectively. Breathing efficiently will help pupils to feel more in control and to reduce stress.
Common breathing problems include shallow breathing, panting, uneven breath, tightening of the chest muscles, sighing, raised shoulders and even hyperventilation.
Incorrect breathing can lead to insufficient oxygen being inhaled and toxins not being fully exhaled. In the longer term, according to Heron (2002), this can lead to ‘fatigue, lack of concentration, sleep problems, depression, respiratory problems, digestive disorders, damage to skin, bones, teeth and hair and a general predisposition to illness’.
Relaxation sessions involve exercises to develop diaphragmatic breathing. This is deep breathing which uses the diaphragm effectively. It involves slowly and surely filling up the whole of the lungs, and then gradually emptying them. The breathing should be slow, deep and even, and you should consciously use the lungs, diaphragm and ribs. The breath can be inhaled through the mouth or through the nose (although pupils often find it easier to start by breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth). It is sometimes confused with simply taking a quick big breath, but in fact that involves inhaling sharply, or holding in the breath, so the diaphragm is not used to its full extent.
Learning to use the lungs efficiently enables us to:
- reduce the load placed on the heart
- release stress from the body
- promote stamina
- encourage effective sleep patterns
- increase the capacity of the muscles to work harder and longer.
As Tubbs (2002) explains, the benefits of diaphragmatic breathing are that it:
- fills the lungs completely, providing the body with sufficient oxygen to meet its needs
- forces carbon dioxide (the waste product of respiration) out of the lungs
- helps abdominal organs to work more efficiently (the up-and-down motion of the diaphragm gently massages the abdominal organs)
- enhances a relaxed state.
Diaphragmatic breathing can be are used in a range of situations, for example when you are:
- feeling tired – it gets more oxygen into the bloodstream
- about to go into a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable
- feeling frustrated or impatient
- angry
- sitting a test or examination.
To teach diaphragmatic breathing, it is advisable for you to practise so that you breathe correctly yourself beforehand. Once you are confident in this, use the following script to teach diaphragmatic breathing:
The following script can be used with pupils who feel anxious, find it difficult to sleep or need to focus. It should only be used when pupils have learnt the basic diaphragmatic breathing technique above:
The process of breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing script