Shamanic Breathing Question

[BornToBoil]

What is the best way to breathe? In his video, Leo said: "make sure that you not only breathing into your chest, but also down into your belly". It's hard for me to breathe both through the chest and through the belly because it makes me break the tempo unless I breathe like super slow. And if I breathe only through the belly I am getting tired much quicker (around 5 minutes mark) and my inhales are much more shallow.

So what should I do? Just don't bother and breathe through the chest? Try to move my breath down from chest to the belly very slowly until I build the technique? Breathe only through the belly until I get used to breathing this way?

What are the benefits of breathing through the belly anyway? Everyone seems to say that you should breathe through the belly (like in yoga routines or breathing exercises on youtube), but I don't understand why is it considered to be a superior way of breathing?

Edited December 12, 2020 by BornToBoil

[SamueLSD]

17 minutes ago, BornToBoil said:

Try to move my breath down from chest 

No. Up from the belly. 

Don't force it too much. Obviously you will use your chest mostly, that's where your lungs are lol. 

Just release tension in your stomach, let it expand a bit, then fill your lungs. Trying to 'fill up' your stomach with air might make it tense or just be generally uncomfortable. 

[Tanz]

diaphragm, lumbar muscles a lot like what voice coaches teach singers.  you can search on youtube

the muscles from your lower back and diaphragm are a lot stronger than the other muscles that assist you in breathing.  

[BornToBoil]

@SamueLSD I guess that's what i was doing wrong. I trued to fill up my belly too much and it was kind of uncomfortable in the long term.

@Forestluv Thanks for the expanded answer. Should I try breathing like that (with both belly and chest expanding) throughout the day?

I have found this really cool channel on youtube about yoga and breathwork but watched only a few videos so far.

@Tanz Hi, so are you suggesting me to engage those muscles more during the shamanic breathing practice? Or work on them separately?

[Forestluv]

15 minutes ago, BornToBoil said:

 

@Forestluv Thanks for the expanded answer. Should I try breathing like that (with both belly and chest expanding) throughout the day?

I can’t do it automatically and effortlessly. I often catch myself in poor posture and shallow / contracted breathing. A small portion of my day involves improving my breathing. Usually through yoga or while I am taking walks.

Breathing is also great for attention and awareness development. 

[BornToBoil]

@Forestluv I see, thanks.

Btw, I saw your first post disappear. Did you delete it or did I click something accidentally? If it was me, sorry, haha.

[aurum]

9 hours ago, BornToBoil said:

What are the benefits of breathing through the belly anyway? Everyone seems to say that you should breathe through the belly (like in yoga routines or breathing exercises on youtube), but I don't understand why is it considered to be a superior way of breathing?

The benefits are that you're actually taking a full breath.

If you're just breathing from your chest, you're breathing is extremely shallow. And that is going to subconsciously trigger anxiety / fear/ fight or flight response.

When your breathing is deep and full, just the opposite occurs. It signals to the subconscious that you are safe. And you enter into a parasympathetic state, which is associated with creativity, intuition, healing, etc.

9 hours ago, BornToBoil said:

I am getting tired much quicker (around 5 minutes mark) and my inhales are much more shallow.

Try Wim Hof Method. I could never go very deep just doing shamanic breathing. But doing Wim Hof breathing, I've been able to do 45 minutes so far. Same effect as far as I can tell.

[Tanz]

18 hours ago, BornToBoil said:

 

@Tanz Hi, so are you suggesting me to engage those muscles more during the shamanic breathing practice? Or work on them separately?

When you take a deep breath extend your lumbars (arch your low back)  
Slow down take deep breathes when you are sitting, every time you take a inhale feel your lumbar moving forward, feel your lungs opening up, feel your diaphragm dropping, most importantly feel oxygen, fluid, energy rushing up into your head and face.  

[BornToBoil]

@aurum I don't know if I am doing something wrong but when I take a full breath with my chest, there's no way for me to breathe some more air in. But when I first take a full breath with my belly, I can still take a bit of air in with my lungs. 

Also, how is WHM different from shamanic breathing? If you take away cold exposure and holding your breath and do it for the same time, the technique itself and its effects should be pretty similar, no? The only difference I can find is that Leo said there should be no pauses between exhale and inhale. 

Edited December 13, 2020 by BornToBoil

[BornToBoil]

@Tanz Sounds so complicated, haha. But I will try, thank you!