By Louise Richardson, Certified Reflexologist and Reiki Master
We all know we need oxygen to survive, but most of us probably don’t think about it much beyond that. We breathe and our body does it automatically whether we think about it or not… so we tend to not give it much thought. But today we’re going to start by considering a few things about how the body works regarding our breath and oxygen intake.
• Every – Single – Cell in the body needs oxygen.
• 25% of your oxygen intake goes to the brain – without enough oxygen, people may have decreased cognition, judgment, and coordination, or in more extreme cases, can even become unresponsive. All parts of our bodies are impacted when we don’t have enough oxygen in the blood getting to all of our cells.
• Stress affects how we breathe. When you move into fight-or-flight mode (the stress response) you take more shallow breaths, allowing your heart to pump faster, and your breathing will speed up to distribute more oxygen-rich blood to the specific areas needed to take action, such as the muscles.
While the change in breathing due to the stress responses is helpful in those fight or flight moments, it diverts oxygen from other cells and functions not deemed critical in that moment. What’s worse is that with chronic stress, it creates a cycle of shallow breathing that’s hard to break. Shallow breathing is not just part of the body’s response to stress, but it actually creates a stress response, keeping us stuck in a stress cycle.
Relaxation and deep breathing techniques can help to break the cycle and restore our breath to its natural, healing state. In fact, several studies have shown improvements in breathing quality among test subjects receiving regular reflexology treatments.
Research also shows that reflexology can increase oxygen saturation in the body and lower the respiratory rate. I always take my clients through a deep breathing exercise, which allows the body to relax and heal.
So, take a moment to notice how you are breathing right now. Is it a shallow breath where the chest or shoulders rise and lower with each breath, or is it a fuller breath where your core expands as you breathe in because your diaphragm is filling with air and expanding your body? One easy way to tell is to place a hand on your chest and the other hand on your stomach. Which one moves when you take a breath?
Let me know what you’ve discovered about your breathing. I always tell my clients that deep diaphragm breathing allows you to give yourself a massage on the inside!
If you would like to explore this further, contact me. My schedule is filling up, and your good health is important. I can be reached at (813) 965-1697.
Always praying for your good health,
Louise Richardson, Certified Reflexologist, Reiki Master