A few years ago, I wrote The Trouble with Belly Breathing which took off in readership over the past year and a half. I’ve gotten requests to write a follow-up article on ways to use more of your lung capacity, so here we are! If you have a hard time breathing into your chest, sides, or back, whether from long COVID, anxiety, or something else, this is for you.
Before I give you things to try, I’d like to dispel a couple of breathing myths:
“Belly breathing is good and chest breathing is bad.” Incorrect. Both are really important. They play different roles and send different signals to your nervous system and brain.
“I should always be breathing deeply.” No. That’s not realistic or necessary. Your full lung capacity is there for when you need it, like when you’re running or singing, but you do not need it all the time. Breathing exercises are exercises - they are not how you always need to breathe.
With that out of the way, here are 5 things to try that will help balance your breath and use more than just your belly:
Tap on your chest. To wake up your sense of your chest, tap gently but firmly with your fingertips along your sternum or breastbone in the middle of your chest, your ribs to either side, and your collarbones at the top. (This is also a great grounding practice!)
Long exhales of 4-6 seconds, letting your ribs soften. A long exhale allows your diaphragm to disengage, creating a larger vaccuum for air to rush into when the exhale is over. It should help your inhale feel like less work.
Breathe into your hands. Rub your hands together to warm them up, then place them on your chest. On your inhale, can you push your breath into your hands? This works in other parts of your ribcage too. Try placing your hands along your sides at different heights (closer to your waist or closer to your armpit) and on your mid-back.
Use child’s pose to breathe into your back. Child’s pose squishes your belly, making it tricky to breathe into it, but you can use that to your advantage. Try using the space child’s pose creates in your back to breathe toward the ceiling. If it’s challenging for you to get all the way to the floor for whatever reason, raise the floor in front of you with a pillow or folded blanket to rest your head and arms on.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and interlace your fingers behind your head. Point your elbows toward the ceiling. Using your arms to lift your head, press your upper back into the floor and slightly lift your head, take a couple of breaths into the floor, then bring your head back down. Note #1: This is not a crunch or a sit-up, and the number of repetitions does not matter. Take your time and pay attention to how your breath changes.
The combination of being curled up like that and the pressure of the floor behind your upper back gives access to parts of your lungs you don’t use often. Pressing different spots along your spine into the floor will give you different access. You can also press on a diagonal, such as pressing the bottom of one shoulder blade and angling your elbows in that same direction. Note #2: If you have long COVID or other bronchial issues, this may make you cough, but that’s a good thing.