Did you know poor posture can decrease breathing capacity by as much as 30%?  That means there’s 30% less oxygen getting to your brain and other cells.  Try this next time you hit a mid-afternoon drop in energy and alertness. 

-Whether sitting or standing, lift the front of your ribcage up slightly, as if a string were attached from your breastbone to the ceiling.  This movement repositions your ribcage to were it should be and gives your lungs more room to pull in oxygen.

-Next, inhale deeply through your nose.  Think of pulling the air all the way down to the bottom of your ribcage.  You should feel your lungs inflate and your ribcage expand.

-Exhale through your mouth.  While exhaling, let all your tension go.

-Repeat 3-4 times.

We extract the most amount of oxygen from the we breath in the bottom half of our lungs.  It is where your lungs are physically biggest with more blood vessels to pick up incoming oxygen.  Unfortunately, too many people are shallow breathers and pull oxygen into only the top half of their lungs.

Breathing deeply not only oxygenates your bloodstream more efficiently, it also calms the nervous system and neutralizes the harmful effects of stress on our systems.

Tags: Posture Breathing Wellness Health

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