The Many BEAUTY BENEFITS of Breathing Deeply

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In our day to day living, we tend to breathe in short, shallow patterns using the top (narrower) portion of our lungs. This can cause some rigidity of our respiratory diaphragm over time (the umbrella shaped muscle that divides our lungs from our abdominal cavity). This perpetuates the cycle of taking shorter breaths. We lose the natural inclination to draw breath deeply and fully into the lower (larger) portions of our lungs in more of a spherical, three-dimensional way. 

Here are SOME of the many beauty benefits of breathing deeply ~ because sometimes, we need yet another good reason to make conscious changes: 

• Facilitates lymphatic movement 

• Nervous system regulation/vagus nerve stimulation 

• Lowers cortisol/stress 

• Expels toxins 

• Improved cell oxygenation 

• Lowers acidity levels in the body

• Better posture & pain relief 

🫁 The motion of deep breathing propels interstitial fluid (responsible for cell nourishment) through your body and into your lymphatic system for cleansing and purification. Your lymphatic system is like your body’s garbage disposal, and it relies on your movements to function. Just by taking a few deep breaths you're helping to propel that fluid through your system, giving your cells an internal bath and a snack. 

🫁 Deep breathing stimulates the vagus nerve, which is majorly responsible for the parasympathetic nervous system state. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that getting out of the fight/flight sympathetic dominant state and into the parasympathetic rest/digest/repair/rebuild state IS CRITICAL for allowing your body to repair and create new genetic material (collagen/elastin/immune cells etc). This is literally what needs to happen for healthy, happy, beautiful, glowing skin. There is no way around it. Chronic stress ages you faster. We can’t eliminate life’s stressors, but we can seriously take inventory of how we respond to them. Deep breathing is a tool in your arsenal to down-regulate when you’re activated. 

🫁 Up to 70% of toxins that your body retains are expelled during exhalation. This means less metabolic waste for your precious bod to neutralize and deal with. Less waste = less inflammation aka “inflam-aging”.

🫁 You have 30 trillion cells in your body - all of which demand oxygen every second. Really think about that for a moment. If oxygen can’t reach your cells (from excess inflammation in your tissues which increases gas transit time, or from tension & compression) it will bond to a hydrogen molecule and produce a free radical that your body then needs to deal with. Cell death, dis-ease and disorder can occur. Consciously breathing smoothly and deeply lets your cells just bathe in the vital life force they need to function properly! 

🫁 Improved oxygenation shifts the PH in your body from a more acidic state (inflamed) to a more alkaline state. Paired with the nervous system regulation AND lowering of the stress hormone cortisol, chronic pain can actually be reduced. Who feels easy, flowy, beautiful and well rested when they’re stressed, tense, and dealing with chronic pain? 

🫁 Oftentimes tension is a result of an area in your body being unsupported structurally. The breath helps to regulate internal pressure and actually supports your spine and body structures, improving your posture. 

I often need a little extra encouragement to sit on the meditation cushion. That’s why they call it a “practice” ...Hopefully this inspires you to breathe in, and release deeply.