Did you know that we take anywhere from 17,000-20,000+ breaths a day?

Depending on how efficient our breathing is this can either be incredibly calming and/or create more unease in our brain and body.

When anxious, we may notice an increase in our breathing rate that travels up and into our neck and chest. We can refer to this pattern as vertical breathing. This is a “normal” response when we feel unsafe or on edge. Our breathing rate will naturally increase in an attempt to draw in more oxygen to prepare to flee or fight an unsafe environment.

However, the irony is that breathing upwards is less effective, which can further contribute to unease and an unsettled feeling in the brain and body.

Today, I wanted to share with you two breathing solutions that can help you expand how you breathe and a as result reduce your anxiety:

✔️Sensory input to ribcage
✔️Lateral rib breathing

By adding some sensory input to the front, sides and back of your ribs you increase the awareness to where you can expand your breath.

Secondly by adding gentle pressure into the sides of your ribcage you can encourage a more lateral breath.

The drills shared here are to help your brain interrupt the tendency to breathe shallowly and into the neck and expand more deeply improving parasympathetic activity.

To learn more about how to manage anxiety with tools that reside within you feel free to visit the link www.coachalyssachang.com