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We all know that breathing is a crucial fundament of living. When we stop breathing we stop being a life. We can not survive without oxygen. Breathing in oxygen is the most important element of being alive.

Knowledge of how to breathe correctly to support and maintain good health is very essential.
I can see that we still are not educated enough and we tend to ignore this topic.
Nobody really thought us about the fundaments of breathing as since we are born we are breathing naturally. We tend to think we do not need to think about this, as breathing is just a natural force for us.
The question is, do we breathe healthily?
There are many breathing system illnesses, that occur in modern society. These days we hear about the shortness of breath, asthma, emphysema, or pneumonia more often.
People are more susceptible to respiratory diseases associated with various bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Lets briefly talk about the respiratory system first.
Why is it so important to maintain its good health?
‘’ The respiratory system is the network of organs and tissues that help you breathe. This system helps your body absorb oxygen from the air so your organs can work. It also cleans waste gases, such as carbon dioxide, from your blood”
The respiratory system includes:
- Nose and nasal cavity
- Sinuses
- Mouth
- Throat (pharynx)
- Voicebox (larynx)
- Windpipe (trachea)
- Diaphragm
- Lungs
- Bronchial tubes/bronchi
- Bronchioles
- Air sacs (alveoli)
- Capillaries
Breathing starts when you Inhale the oxygen through your nostrils or mouth letting it travel down the back of your throat and windpipe which is divided into bronchial tubes.
“When you breathe in, or inhale, your diaphragm contracts and moves downward. This increases the space in your chest cavity, and your lungs expand into it. The muscles between your ribs also help enlarge the chest cavity. They contract to pull your rib cage both upward and outward when you inhale.”
The airways such as throat, windpipe and bronchial tubes need to be open, and there should be no evidence of inflammation, swelling or extra mucus in your lungs to let them all function properly and at their best.
Breathing uses chemical and mechanical processes to deliver oxygen to every cell of your body, at the same time removing carbon dioxide, which is a waste product of that process. These all are to obtain energy to fuel all your body functions and living processes.
I have noticed that many people have a tendency to breathe in and out through the mouth.
Nose organ is important for the inhalation process, and we tend to forget about this.
Why should we inhale using the nose and exhale through the mouth?
There are many studies that present the importance of nose inhalation and mouth exhalation, pointing is it as the most optimal way of using the respiratory system. Also, there is significant evidence of health benefits that come from both inhaling and exhaling through the nose, too.
The nose is a specifically designed organ that supports the healthy maintaining of the breathing system.
Breathing in through the nose helps out to warm the air, moisturize and condition it being mixed with nitric oxide, which supports fighting infections. This process kills bacteria and works as a vasodilator on the airways, arteries, and capillaries.

What is more nose inhalation ensures that more oxygen is absorbed, as the vasodilation by nitric oxide increases the surface area of alveoli. In other words, it increases better blood flow in your circulatory system and higher lung volumes.
Other benefits are helping out in maintaining body temperature or increasing the more efficient brain functions.
Obviously correct breathing helps a lot during any physical activity, as the lung is a primary source of energy.
During physical activity is it recommended to inhale through the nostrils and exhale back from the mouth as “ when you exhale through the nostrils compared to your mouth, a back-pressure is created and exhaled air is restricted and slow down, which is exactly the time lungs use to absorb more oxygen.
It slows the air escape so the lungs have more time to extract oxygen from them. When there is proper oxygen-carbon dioxide exchange, the blood will maintain a balanced pH. Our oxygen uptake happens mostly during the restricted exhale through the nose.
If carbon dioxide is lost too quickly, as in mouth breathing, oxygen absorption is decreased. If you want better performance during your exercise, you have to stop over-breathing or hyperventilation- a.k.a mouth breathing.
Use your mouth for breathing in and out only when you physically can’t do it through the nose.
There several dangers that bring the mouth inhalation habit, as followed:
- There is no way of how to stop the bad bacteria that are willing to enter your body system. Your nose is a filter that stops them.
- Mouth breathing may weaken your heart and lungs as it causes depleted carbon dioxide levels, reduces blood circulation, slows down your brain and reflexes, and even causes spells of dizziness and sometimes unconsciousness.
- Breathing through the mouth only may cause snoring or sleep apnea.
- It may affect your sexual life, appearance, and general body weakness, also.
I encourage you to take your breathing method under strong consideration.
It is a very important element of living and improving its quality will bring a lot of benefits to you.
Practice your conscious breathing trough both nostrils and exhaling through the mouth trough out a day as often as you can. Make sure you inhale deep in, letting your chest is wide open, your ribcage moving up, directing that inhale toward the navel area.
Try to prolong both inhale and exhale.
You can try it in a quiet, intimate place so nothing can disturb you.
I recommend doing it in an intimate environment as we have a tendency of quieting our breath. The breathing can make a sound so do not be ashamed of it. I have experienced that people who attend my Yoga classes where we learn breathing methods are simply ashamed of the sound of their breath. This is completely normal and fine.
To try breathing exercises, simply sit on the chair, put two hands on the top of your hips, opening the chest wide, and contracting your shoulder blades. Practice deep inhalation through your nose and slowly exhaling through the mouth.
There are many different breathing meditations that are met in various ancient and modern philosophies. I encourage you to search for more information about this and start your practice.
I invite you to look at the videos of the Tibetan methods of nostril breathing, that I have recorded, where you can learn how to use the nose organ for both inhalation and exhalation. This may help to focus on that organ more and introduce it back as the main one which starts the breathing process in your body.
These methods involve meditation, too which helps in clearing out the mind and supporting the healing processes within your body.
I recommend the exercises of holding the breathe as well.
Tibetan breathing for beginners: (play HD) Tibetan breathing for more advanced practitioners: (play HD)Yoga and Pilates and fitness, in general, can be a great way of learning the proper way of breathing, too.
I also noticed the emergence of several modern methods of mouth breathing, but I would not recommend them as the first way to learn how to breathe properly. They can be considered as additional methods, after getting used to the regular and correct way of breathing using the nose to breathe in and the mouth to breathe out. Personally, however, I think that, considering the physiological structure of human, we should learn to work with the diaphragm, inhaling deeply through the nose and exhaling through the mouth or through the nose also.
Czy możemy źle oddychać?
Wszyscy wiemy, że oddychanie jest fundamentem zachowania życia. Kiedy przestajemy oddychać, przestajemy żyć. Bez tlenu przetrwać nie możemy, zatem oddychanie jest najważniejszym elementem przy nim nas utrzymującym.

“Układ oddechowy to sieć narządów i tkanek, które aktywują proces oddychania. Ten system pomaga twojemu ciału wchłonąć tlen z powietrza, aby twoje narządy mogły sprawnie pracować, oczyszczając tym samym gazy odlotowe, takie jak dwutlenek węgla, z krwi ”Układ oddechowy obejmuje: – Nos i jamę nosową, – Zatoki, – Usta, – Gardło, – Skrzynie głosową (krtań), – Tchawicę, – Membranę, – Płuca, – Rurki oskrzelowe, – Oskrzela, – Worki powietrzne (pęcherzyki, – Naczynia włosowate. Oddychanie rozpoczyna się, gdy wdychasz tlen przez nozdrza lub usta, pozwalając, aby przedostało się ono do tylnej części gardła i tchawicy podzielonej na rurki oskrzelowe.
„Kiedy oddychasz, przepona kurczy się i przesuwa w dół. Zwiększa to przestrzeń w jamie klatki piersiowej, a płuca się w nią rozszerzają. Mięśnie między żebrami pomagają również powiększyć jamę klatki piersiowej. Kurczą się, aby pociągnąć żebro zarówno w górę, jak i dół, wewnątrz, a także na zewnątrz. ”

