Breathe for Weight Loss

Ever tried shed a few pounds? It’s not easy. According to the National Institutes of Health, 97% of dieters who lose weight gain it back within five years. This statistic illustrates what most dieters already know. Permanent weight loss is frustrating and often seems unobtainable.

What most dieters don’t know, however, is that they carry a powerful weight loss tool with them at all times: Breathing. Proper breathing is the one exercise that helps your body do what is necessary to lose weight. In fact, some weight loss programs maintain that proper breathing is more important than exercise or diet when it comes to burning calories.

Oxygen is required for nutrient absorption and enhanced oxygen boosts the metabolic rate. Converting food and fat into energy requires an alkaline pH and deeper breathing helps to keep the cells oxygenated and the pH in an alkaline state. By moving the lymph, deeper breathing increases toxins as much as 1500%! An oxygenated bloodstream calms the central nervous system and reduces pancreatic production of fat-storing insulin.

All of us are aware that oxygen is necessary for life. . When we are born into this world we are blessed with an innate awareness of this fact. We are also predisposed to proper breathing techniques. Infants breathe fully, which in turn supplies their young bodies with the oxygen necessary for proper functioning and growth. As we age, however, our breathing becomes more shallow. This change results in a lower oxygen supply, which slows all bodily functions, including our metabolism.

When you improve your breathing and increase your flow of oxygen, the body responds with enhanced performance . The extra oxygen moves through the bloodstream and causes chemical reactions in your body to take place faster. This enables you to burn more calories and more fat.

At this point, many of you are probably wondering what constitutes better breathing. Most of us are chest breathers. We have a shallow inhale and our breath travels only as far as our chests. Proper breathing or Full Wave Breathing™ begins with a full inhale that reaches deep into the abdomen. From there it expands into the stomach and moves into the chest. This process is much like a wave rolling through your body. At first this may seem awkward. With just a little time and practice it will become second nature.

Before beginning your breathing exercises, find a spot that is pleasing and a position that is comfortable. You can either sit upright or lie down with a pillow under your knees. Then let your mouth drop open and your jaw relax completely. When you first start to retrain yourself, mouth breathing is best. Nostril breathing will come later when you are more comfortable with the process and have mastered a complete breathing pattern.

Full Wave Breathing Basics

• Step One: Abdominal Breathing. Inhale through your mouth and expand your lower abdomen. Make your inhale long and deep. Visualize the air moving through your body to your abdomen. Place your hands on your abdomen and imagine it filling as if it were a balloon. Exhale completely and gently through your mouth. Let your muscles go soft and allow the exhaled air to leave the body on its own without pushing or effort. Place your hands on your abdomen. Notice how it has naturally returned to a flat state.

• Step Two: Middle Body Breathing. Inhale again through your mouth and breathe into your abdomen. Then using your muscles, expand your lower ribs. Fill the middle of your body from your belly to your solar plexus with air. Place your hand on your lower ribs. Notice how they expand as you use your muscles and diaphragm. Exhale gently and completely through your mouth.

• Step Three: Chest Breathing. Inhale again through your mouth and breathe deep into your abdomen. Once the abdomen is full and round, let your middle body fill with air and your ribs expand. Then allow the breath to move into your chest. Exhale gently and completely through your mouth using no pressure or effort.

• Step Four: Smooth Breath Flow. Connect these three separate steps into one smooth flow of breathing. Move from one breath to the next with no pauses between your inhale and exhale. You can follow your breath by placing your hands on the abdomen, belly, and chest. Soon, you will begin to feel the air move through your body like waves nurturing your very being.

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