hey everyone and welcome back to shapeshifter's den a place where we discuss all things related to self-transformation through conscious movement today's video will be the first in a new series i've decided to call level up these videos will discuss specific and actionable concepts which directly level up your ability to be the conscious creator of yourself and your individual life experience in this video we will be addressing one most basic and powerful ways in which a person can increase the efficiency and functionality of the body and mind and that would be nasal breathing a nasal breathing
is simply breathing through your nose as opposed to your mouth and it seems simple but it's often overlooked in large part because most people don't realize the drastic differences between the two types of breathing so what falls will be a highlight of some of the more important differences difference number one is oxygen this gaseous molecule provides ourselves with the fuel needed to bring vitality and life to the body in fact human life can only exist for a matter of minutes without oxygen when oxygen-rich air passes through the mouth it mostly ends up in the upper
lobes of the lungs causing a pattern known as chest breathing and in turn reducing the surface area inside the lungs which is available to absorb the oxygen conversely when air passes through the narrow slits of the nose its turbulence is increased driving air deeper into the lower lungs and increasing the surface area available for the lungs to absorb oxygen this type of breathing is often called belly breathing but in short nasal breathing is increasing your vitality by increasing your oxygen absorption which leads us to difference number two stamina because nasal breathing increases how much oxygen
is absorbed per breath this means that fewer breasts are needed in order to get the same amount of oxygen this means saving more energy doing the same work as someone breathing primarily from the mouth in addition to a more efficient use of the lungs nasal breathing also releases nitric oxide into the air that you're inhaling and once in the lungs this nitric oxide enters the bloodstream and begins to open up the blood vessels of the body allowing more blood oxygen and nutrients to enter muscles during exercise this means more fuel available to the muscles and
better waist removal for muscle breakdown both of which increase stamina difference number three is posture and bone structure it's hard to oversaw the importance of this difference and it's honestly ashamed it's not more widely known because it can make a world of difference for pain and performance issues breathing is basically just an internal movement pattern one which the average person performs nearly 20 000 times per day this is an incredible amount of repetition and any faults in the pattern tend to drastically affect the hole when breathing through the nose the naturally increased air turbulence drives
air into lower lungs more fully activating the diaphragm this has the effect of increasing intra-abdominal pressure underneath the diaphragm helping to stabilize the core and promote tall healthy posture breathing through the mouth however decreases intra-abdominal pressure leaving the core less supported this often causes the midsection to collapse forward such as in sway back posture or causing the core to collapse backwards flaring the ribs out and further weakening the diaphragm and the abdominals this has long-term drastic effects on the posture making the person more susceptible to injury and chronic musculoskeletal pain patterns the second major postural
issue caused by mouth breathing can be found in the face and has a lot to do with what is normally considered an attractive facial structure from breathing through the mouth the mouth must remain open this alters the muscles used for breathing and creates a recessed jaw the recessed jaw partially closes off the airways making breathing even harder and slowly changing the entire structure of the face the jaw becomes more narrow cheekbones become less defined and if present during childhood this often causes crooked teeth in contrast nasal breathing allows the mouth to remain shut keeping the
jaw in its proper posture opening the airway and allowing the face and teeth to develop normally difference number four is recovery inside the lungs are many nerve receptors which are stimulated by the air we breathe in the upper lobes of the lungs are full of sympathetic nervous system receptors which when activated by the upper chest breathing pattern will create a fight flight or freeze response in the body this is basically chronic hyperventilation and leads to anxiety and excess stress reducing the body's ability to optimally heal and recover after strenuous exercise conversely nasal breathing pushes air
into the lower lobes which are full of parasympathetic nerve receptors activating these receptors activates the rest digest and recover response from the body leading to a feeling of ease and triggering the body's natural healing responses in fact if you maintain nasal breathing during exercise your body will have a near equal sympathetic and parasympathetic response meaning your body is in the healing response even while you're breaking down muscle and likewise nasal breathing after exercise increases parasympathetic activation and continues to speed healing leading to faster recovery and increased gains and finally my personal favorite effect of nasal
breathing is mental presence mouth breathing due to the increased fight or flight response and decreased oxygen and nutrient absorption causes low energy and a general feeling of anxiety this makes the body a fairly uncomfortable place to be and the mind often tends to wander off because of it and a mind which is spaced out and not very present in the body has little control over the body and little awareness of its environment overall it's a recipe for low effectiveness within the life experience itself nasal breathing increases oxygen and nutrient uptake increasing energy available for cognition
and on top of this the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system relaxes the body making it a more pleasant and comfortable vehicle for the mind together this creates an alert but relaxed mental presence within the body this mental presence increases the mind's ability to control the body as well as vastly increasing the mind's potential for environmental awareness both of which will boost the individual's efficiency and effectiveness in nearly all aspects of their life experience so how does one properly breathe through the nose well for some people this pattern is and always has been present but
for those who have a long history of mouth breathing it can be difficult in the beginning to alter this pattern however with a little patience and consistency it becomes much easier and eventually becomes habit the practice of retraining the breathing pattern is often called mewing viewing involves closing the mouth during breathing and placing the tongue in its natural position on the roof of the mouth just behind the front teeth breathing through the nose with the tongue in this position activates the proper breathing muscles and opens up the airways over time this pattern will alter the
structure of the face moving the jaw into its proper place and building up the facial and neck musculature in a more natural pattern a nice bonus is the more attractive jawline and facial structure this creates to maximize the retraining of the breathing pattern you'll have to ensure that the diaphragm is being properly activated staying relaxed but tall and breathing into the belly and lower ribs is helpful for this check in the mirror and try to be sure your lower rib cage is expanding gently and 360 degrees as you inhale once these positional cues are in
place simply practice breathing this way as much as possible throughout the day eventually will become second nature however the mouth is the emergency breathing system of the body and at any point you can't breathe through the nose simply breathe through the mouth while still trying to use the diaphragm properly return to nasal breathing whenever you're able if you're stuffed up a lot consider removing certain items from your diet to see if it changes in my experience dairy wheat and soy tend to cause mucus buildup and inflammation in a lot of individuals though the only way
to know this for sure is to eliminate one at a time from your diet for a week or so and see if your breathing gets any better well that's it for today i hope you found the discussion helpful if you enjoyed the video be sure to send some love by clicking the like button if you have any questions or if you'd like to share your own experience or advice feel free to leave a comment below until next time good luck with your breathing patterns and keep moving everyone [Music] [Music] so [Music] you
