Hugging and Breathing

A primary aspect to breathing is in the exhale and extending it. "He/she is a great hugger" is often a compliment to a person who really makes you feel accepted, and at ease. Aside from the emotional and social aspects of acceptance and self esteem, a "real good hug" is a mild form of breathing therapy.

There is a natural breathing reflex that invites a very deep breath; deeper then you can take if you try and take a deep breath by yourself. The key to it is in tricking the nervous system into letting the muscles of the rib cage go so that the lungs can fill up easier and fuller. A hug is one of those types of "tricks." This stimulates a deeper parasympathetic nervous relaxation response. See Optimal Breath Releases (OBRs) in the #191 Secrets of Optimal Natural Breathing manual and you experience a sense of calm, ease or pleasurable excitement.

When a friend has already just finished exhaling try hugging them around the mid to lower chest and gently squeezing a little air out of them. Let go immediately but smoothly so they can take a relaxed, effortless, deeper inhale. It's probably best to warn them a little before you try this as many are not used to such intensity of contact and will spontaneously tighten up what are called accessory breathing muscles; those that fire inappropriately and reduce a deeper more refreshing, relaxing in-breath.

Did it work? Great, now wait about ten relaxed breaths and do another "extended exhale hug." Then it's your turn.

Try THIS one on yourself.

The aim is to relax, energize and expand the breathing.

1. Stand/or sit erectly and crisscross your hands in the front of your body onto your lower rib cage on each side. Let your chin remain slightly raised about 5 degrees from looking straight ahead. If standing, bring your tailbone fully forward, then fully backward, then let it come to rest between the middle and fully forward.

2. Check in with your breathing now. Just close your eyes and get an internal sense of "what is the condition of my breathing?" This does not have an answer, it is just to direct your attention inwardly. Begin to observe your breathing and how it feels. Breathing in and breathing out. Breathing in and breathing out.

3. Wait until the bottom of an unforced exhale and then press on the ribs and make a loud shhhhhh (as in shush! meaning "be quiet!") sound as they move inward until you feel the need to get an inhalation, and then let go as the deeper easier inhale comes in. Do not "take a breath." Just let the natural reflexive breath come in on its own. Feel the rib cage expand out at the bottom of the ribs, and slightly forward during inhalation -- Feel better?

4. Try it again only raise your arms when the breath starts coming in. Then lower them on the exhale and go back to step one. Repeat with or without raising arms.

Watch the above left diaphragm animation for a better sense of your rib expansion and diaphragm movement.

Do 1-3 in front of a mirror. When you breathe and do NOT raise your arms does your rib cage or shoulders rise or neck muscles bulge out.

If so, you may want to look more deeply into why by studying your breathing with Michael Grant White, known as "The Breathing Coach." Take the FREE Breathing Tests

Rapid Breathing Development Program