An Osteopathic perspective on Breathing Instruction
Heather has specifically trained with Patrick McKeown to become an Oxygen Advantage Instructor, and with Ed Harrold from Breath As Medicine to add to her current skill set to be able to help improve an individual's breathing pattern to support health and athletic perfomance.
It seems easy right? We breathe every minute of every day. And, we've done it since the day we were born. As life goes along, things change in our bodies and we can pick up patterns in our movement and breath that aren't optimal. Sometimes, we don't even realize it's happened!
Did you know...
that 100% of participants in a study about burnout had a breathing pattern disorder? (1)
That 80% of indivuduals dealing with anxiety and panic have a breathing disorder? (2)
That 76% of individuals with chronic low back pain have breathing pattern disorders? (3)
That you can decrease your fatigue, improve your sport performance, recovery and concentration by changing how you breathe?
Breathing is a big part of the equation to calm your mind, increase your focus, and sleep better; it's a great tool to help regulate your autonomic nervous system.
Interested in learning more about your breath and your breathing patterns?
Awesome! I would love to be of assistance. I'll have more specifc information available on my offerings in the very near future, right here on this page. If you'd like to set something up in the meantime, please email me and we can make it happen.
Until then, breathe through your nose as much as you can each and every day, including during sleep. It really does make a difference!
Nasal breathing helps to moisten, warm, and filter the air coming into your lungs. It will also decrease the amount of moisture you lose by mouth breathing which is approximately 42% (4 ), and it will pick up the Nitric Oxide within the nasal cavities. Nitric Oxide has antiviral and antibacterial properies, and as it flows to the lungs, it helps to open airways and increase oxygen uptake from the lungs to the blood (5)
For sleeping, there are several options for mouth taping. I've personally used strips of 3M Micropore, 3M Transpore, Kinesotape, and Myotape. If you are intereseted in using Myotape, you can purchase it via this link , or you can find the other tapes I've used at your local drugstore. Take the time to find what product works best for you, that way you'll be more inclined to use it.
*There are other tape options out there too, such as LipSeal. I just don't have first hand experience with them.