Deep Breathing

Respiration: Bio-Chemistry and Mechanics   

“Respiration”, sometimes referred to endogenous breathing is a transport system for customized delivery of atmospheric oxygen to human tissues based on their specific metabolic requirements, including the transport of metabolic carbon dioxide from the cells to outside air. 

The “mechanics” of respiration, sometimes called exogenous breathing,  constitute “breathing,” the USE of the lungs and their related nerves muscles and bones (ribs etc) for moving oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other gases to and/or from the blood."  

The primary market for optimal breathing is the best possible sympathetic/parasympathetic depth and balance combined in any moment in time or action. 

The way I use “breathing mechanics” has reference to breathing patterns (holding, gasping, sighing), breathing rate, breathing depth (volume), locus of breathing (chest and diaphragm), breathing coordination (relationship of upper and lower breathing wave), breathing resistance (nose and mouth), and collateral muscle activity for breathing regulation (muscles other than the diaphragm). 

“Breathing chemistry” has partial reference to the ventilation of carbon dioxide through these breathing mechanics in the service of establishing adaptive respiratory chemistry.  Respiratory chemistry related to carbon dioxide impact can be significantly monitored by measuring changes in exhaled carbon dioxide, so as to track significant aspects of breathing mechanics. This carbon dioxide balance (endtidal CO2 -5%) is influenced by biochemical terrain such as acid alkaline balance, or cell hydration. It is often is a major marker for CO2 influences as related to vascular dilation or constriction feeding specific parts of the human body including the brain and vital organs.  It can be a major marker for endogenous (internal) breathing in of itself but I believe it almost always has cofactors (see breathing mechanics below) that may or may not be significantly relevant.

Good breathing “mechanics” needs to be integrated with good chemistry/respiration. Though a major marker for therapeutic progress, breathing mechanics for relaxation is too often the exclusive focus of breathing training and learning. As noted in the Secrets of Optimal Natural Breathing it too often gets tied into professional or spiritual agenda.  

This "relaxation" may lower stress response and save lives, be a shift in conscious awareness and cognition, or be no more then a kind of transient trance state. As a result, a large percentage of therapists and trainers who teach breathing can deregulate respiratory chemistry by inducing “overbreathing/unbalanced breathing" with their instructions to trainees, not realizing that they are inducing system-wide psycho-spiritual and psycho-physiological crisis through the creation or exacerbation of hypocapnea, i.e., carbon dioxide deficit. This often results in exacerbating respiratory faults, or distorting optimal breathing balance and coordination as well as confusing the client/ patient.

Unfortunately, based on this kind of "relaxation" dominant thinking, myths and misunderstandings about “good” breathing often constitute the “working knowledge” of health professionals and lay audiences alike.  

Some of them are:

Good breathing means relaxation.  
No.  Good breathing is important in all circumstances, whether relaxed or not. 

Learning good breathing requires relaxation.  
No.  This would mean that during most life circumstances, breathing is maladaptive. There still must often be a window of balanced breathing  within the ranges of life's circumstances and that often has the look and feel of being "centered" or "grounded" or both.

Diaphragmatic breathing is synonymous with good breathing.  
No.  In many instances one may begin to over-breathe as a result of switching from chest to diaphragm.

Good respiration is all about the mechanics of breathing.  
No.  Good breathing means ventilating in accordance with metabolic requirements.

Diaphragmatic, deep, slow breathing means better distribution of oxygen. 
No.  Mechanics may look letter perfect, but oxygen distribution may be poor.

Underbreathing/shallow breathing, with the result of oxygen deficit or loss of personal power, is common.  
Yes but also to the contrary, overbreathing is common.

Good breathing translates into optimizing respiratory psychophysiology, and according to a leading Ph.D physiologist friend of mine, contrary to popular thinking, learning to breathe well does not simply mean deep, slow, diaphragmatic breathing in the context of learning how to relax.  Adaptive breathing means regulating blood chemistry, through proper ventilation of carbon dioxide, in accordance with metabolic and other physiologic requirements associated with all life activities and circumstances: relaxation or stress, rest or challenge, fatigue or excitement, attention or open-focus, playing or working.  Deregulated, unbalanced breathing chemistry, i.e., hypocapnea (CO2 deficiency) as a result of overbreathing, means serious physiological crisis involving system-wide compromises that involve physical and mental consequences of all kinds, to be examined later in this overview.  

Evaluating, establishing, maintaining, and promoting good respiratory chemistry is extremely important in any professional practice involving breathing training.  Good breathing chemistry establishes a system-wide context conducive to help optimize health and maximize performance. 

Breathing training is invariably included as an important component of relaxation training, but does not in of itself constitute optimal relaxation or optimal respiration. 

Optimal breathing implies ALL factors are in place in any moment in time. 

8 key factors must be addressed to ensure optimal deep breathing. Priority is dependant upon the condition and situation.

Each one influences the others.

One may be more necessary at any given moment depending upon several circumstances such as stress and or the task at hand.  Optimal breathing can present itself during times of stress and challenge even where relaxation is neither possible nor adaptive. 

Training for various tasks alters the ratios and needs for each of the 8 basic influences as it inputs a conditioning factor that changes mechanical and cellular needs in the moment.

Whether you call it optimal breathing, overbreathing, hyperventilation, unbalanced breathing, maladaptive breathing or sub-optimal breathing, many receive great breathing AND respiration improvement with our self help combination of Manual and 176 Video or one of the other programs.  If they need more they work with Mike over the phone or come to his office and benefit from modern oxygen and carbon dioxide measuring technology plus his in-person breathing development expertise.