After a few thousand years, you’d think we’d have nailed it … But nope, there are 4 four common breathing mistakes and chances are, you’re making at least one of them.

# 1: The Nose is for breathing, the Mouth is for eating

Let’s start with the basics. Your nose is for breathing, your mouth is for eating. Simple, right? I mentioned this nugget of wisdom to a friend with a sharp wit, they quipped back, “It’s also for kissing.” On recounting this remark to another friend they pointed out that Inuits greet and show affection with their noses, but let’s not get distracted.

Unless you’re swimming or talking, you should be breathing through your nose. Your nose filters, conditions and regulates air entering your lungs and is designed to deliver oxygen efficiently. Nasal breathing is foundational for proper breathing. Think about this, when Hollywood wants to portray someone as a moron, how do they breathe them ?

# 2: Over-Breathing – the most common of the four common breathing mistakes

Breathing far too much, is the most common of the four common breathing mistakes most of us make. We rush between inhalation and exhalation, with minimal to no pause and our lungs work like bellows, in and out in and out. When you over-breathe like this consistently, you throw off your physiology and chemical balance, you overwork your cardiovascular system and you put the hammer down on your sympathetic nervous system otherwise known as your active fight or flight mode. The result ? You feel lightheaded, anxious, stressed and ultimately exhausted. Like revving that Ferrari in the carpark, loud, pointless, noisy, and it wears you out.

# 3: Chest breathing

Most of us have this habit of breathing shallowly, into our chests instead of down into our bellies or abdominal region. Breathing correctly down into the lower region of your lungs is also known as diaphragmatic breathing and it’s how you should be breathing. Why? Well, as the name implies it uses your main breathing muscle – your diaphragm and because your lungs are shaped like teardrops larger at the bottom. If you’re only breathing into the top part of your lungs, you’re missing out on their full potential, kind of like buying a Ferrari only to use it driving around a supermarket car park —a waste of time and horsepower!

#4: Focusing too much on the inhalation

When you’ve felt stressed or anxious, how many times have you been told to “just take a deep breath” ?
It sounds like solid advice, right? Wrong. Inhaling requires effort, it utilises various muscles in your body and frankly, it’s stressful. What you should focus on is the exhalation. That’s where the magic happens. When you exhale fully and slowly, you trigger your PNS or parasympathetic nervous system (the mode that calms you down).

Next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t huff in big lung fulls of air like you’re about to inflate a bouncy castle. Focus instead on the exhalation – long, slow, and steady, like your’e blowing out 100 birthday candles(breathe correctly and you’ll have a good chance of becoming a centenarian.)

So, Breathe Better, Live Better

Recapping the 4 Common breathing mistakes we all make :
1. The Nose is for breathing(and greeting if you happen to meet an Inuit)
2. Be aware of over-breathing
3. Breathe down into your abdomen
4. Exhalation is pure gold

Introducing the Ocean Framework
The ocean Framework addresses all four common breathing mistakes and introduces some guidance for optimum breathing including becoming aware of natural pauses and the science behind your exhalation.

O - optimum breathing is through your nose
C - cadence or rhythm of breathing
E - engage your diaphragm
A - acoustic exhalations
N - natural pauses

Breathing is something you do 20,000 a day - so you may as well do it right.
The 14-Day Ocean Breeze™ Challenge teaches you my OCEAN framework for optimum breathing and a simple daily breathwork practice you can use to calm your nervous system and improve your focus in just 4 minutes a day.
Click the link here : The 14-Day Ocean Breeze™ Challenge