It was through Breathwork Teacher Training with Jon Paul Crimi that I realised I predominantly breathed in reverse. I was 45. By then, I had attended countless personal training sessions, massage therapy and ka huna bodywork training, yoga classes and meditation groups. Looking back, I am still astounded the only yoga instructor who noticed my chest heaving up and down during relaxation scolded at me with a tap on the chest: "You have a funny way of breathing, don't you?". I left that class feeling embarrassed, unsupported, unsafe. Yes, like many others, I'd been through some tough times. I held my breath. I locked in the fear, the shock and the worry. I didn't let go and I became a chest breather.
Living in Australia during Covid, we were subjected to months of isolation. I had to close my bodywork business and I felt entirely useless. It added to my stress and my breathing didn't improve. Then, I took the plunge and signed up to Jon's training progam and voila, within a day I found 'the cure' for me: The 80:20 breath technique. It has been my breathing ally ever since.
But first, what exactly is Reverse Breathing?
Well, it's usually very obvious. If you take a breath in and your stomach draws in, you’re reverse breathing.
Usually, this goes along with a lifted chest and/or shoulders on the inhale. With the exhale, you’ll get the opposite: the stomach expands out and chest/shoulders sink down.
If you've checked yours and you're breathing into your chest, rest assured... This breathing pattern is incredibly common. In fact, our bodies go in and out of reverse breath because of our stressful lives. We are constantly in a state of stress and not taking deep enough breaths isn't helping us feel clear about any situation.
Many of my clients complain about feeling dizzy. My first question: Do you hold your breath a lot? Second: Breathe for me. Inevitably, the chest will rise on the inbreath and the tummy sucks in. So I suggest:
a) For starters, please relax your stomach muscles. Give your tummy permission to let go! This isn't the beach, who cares. Let it out.
b) Imagine baking a bread and the oven is below the ribcage. Now, inhale. Make your tummy soft enough for that dough to rise.
c) During stress - are you holding your breath? That would make anyone dizzy!
d) Are you a mouth breather? Teach yourself to breathe with your mouth closed, and your tongue tip should rest behind the back of your front teeth. It's the tongue's natural resting place and guess what, in that spot, it stimulates Ventral Vagal branches that help to relax you.
e) Are you tongue tied? Many adults only find out after years of mouth breathing that they are, in fact, tongue tied and their tongue simply can't reach the natural resting position. Either that, or they find out about it when their own children are diagnosed with the condition.
Let's get you breathing
The 80:20 breath is a simple technique to remind the body to breathe from the diaphragm, not the chest.
STEP 1.
Relax your stomach. Allow your abdomen to relax.
Place one hand on your stomach and the other hand on your chest.
Imagine a 100% breath.
Take the breath. In through your nose.
Exhale. From your mouth.
Don't force the exhale, simply sigh it out.
STEP 2.
This is a mouth-only breath.
Open your mouth now and breathe in 80% into your soft, round belly.
Your stomach hand should raise.
Now take the remainder 20% breath into your chest and all the way into your throat.
Your chest hand should raise.
Let the breath fall out of your mouth with a soft exhale. A simple sigh.
Repeat this open-mouth, continuous breath, for 5 rounds and feel the wave of the breaths first raise your tummy then your chest.
Keep going, even if you don't get it right the first time. You will!
Check in whether your breath has been corrected.
If not, don't lose faith. Keep practicing and opt for the Soft Belly Breath (in The Restore Guide) practice next.
The 80:20 is best done seated or laying down, never when you drive as the extra oxygen can make you feel dizzy. If that's happening, return to nose breathing until you feel restore and breathe again tomorrow!
The Restore Method Guide or Best Breaths Guide show you how to check your own and your child's breath and yes, correcting it is easier thank you may think!
Happy Breathing!
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