Often neglected, breathing is important for our health and well-being.

But what is hidden behind this automatism that seems so natural and innocuous to us? We breathe a good shot. Explanations.

To breathe well: an instinctive mechanism?

This incessant act, which oxygenates all the organs of our body, takes place without any particular effort.

The mechanism is instinctive: on inspiration , the rib cage widens and the dome of the diaphragm (powerful muscle that separates the thoracic cavity from the abdomen) lowers so that the lungs can fill with fresh air to the maximum ; at the expiration , it is the opposite: the diaphragm rises and the ribs tighten to expel the air loaded with toxins (in the form of CO2) produced by the activity of the cells.

From birth, the process is set up under the leadership of the autonomic nervous system, which also orchestrates other vital functions, such as heartbeat or temperature regulation.

Taking control of your breath is possible: block it voluntarily from a few seconds to a few minutes, increase its rate, inhale through the mouth, blow through the nose ... But it is enough that the vigilance is relaxed for the automatism to resume immediately the top.

Breathing: the diaphragm, the key element

The optimal breathing , the one that creates an environment conducive to the balance of the body, runs smoothly, smoothly.

Ample and fluid, it takes its source in the perineum and mobilizes all the belly as babies do spontaneously. Only here, with the annoyances of modern life, stress and nervous fatigue , it accelerates and loses amplitude.

The breath becomes shorter, more superficial, panting. The diaphragm, too stressed, contracts in the low position. It is no longer inspires with the belly but by inflating only the thorax. Or, worse, you breathe straight upside down, exiting the belly at the expiration. As a result, our breathing capacity is truncated by a factor of two to three. The exchange of gases at the level of the alveoli of the lungs reduces to skin of sorrow, the body becomes tired and pains occur.

"When the diaphragm no longer plays its role of piston, the digestive organs are compressed and lose freedom of movement, which can cause many dysfunctions," observes Frédéric Zenouda *, an osteopath in Paris.

Constipation, gastric problems, renal disturbances, or even venous disorders, are likely to appear.

In the same way, high breathing sometimes gives rise to neck pain, since the accessory respiratory muscles used to raise the first ribs (scalenes) attach to the vertebrae of the neck. S

If the inspiration of air rests mainly on them, in the long run, the cervical ones suffer from it. "Poor breathing is also a possible warning signal of a mechanical blockage or an organ in pain, whose cause must be investigated," explains the osteopath. For example, by irritating the posterior piers of the diaphragm, back pain can be the cause of a respiratory problem. Unblocking vertebral tensions then releases the diaphragm and removes ricochet effect associated transit disorders.

This results in a general improvement in health status as nutrients are better assimilated and waste is better removed. The acidity of the body, resulting from excessive chronic stress and / or an unbalanced modern diet (too much meat, salt and refined grains, not enough fruits and vegetables), will also be partly neutralized.

Inadequate breathing contributes to the lowering of blood pH, which in the long run nibbles our bone mass and induces a generalized inflammatory state that disrupts the intestinal flora, alters the condition of the skin, increases rheumatic pains, induces tension muscle and exhausts the nervous system. Restoring the regular back and forth of the diaphragm will thus trigger many unsuspected chain therapeutic effects.

How to re-educate one's breath?

It is therefore vital to relearn how to breathe at full speed to achieve better personal and mental hygiene .

"Re-educating your breath can go through initiation to singing," says Anne Peko **, singer and vocal coach. It is indeed impossible to control his voice without working his column of air, which we must feel the flow up from the perineum, the floor of our abdomen. Playing a wind instrument requires the same constraints.

According to Dr. David O'Hare ***, the ideal is to start with conscious breathing exercises.

In practice: sitting upright facing a table or desk, inhale and exhale deeply for three minutes mentally following the path of air that passes through your body: the nose, throat, chest, lungs ... The mouth should remain closed and the tongue pressed against the palate. Try ! Once comfortable with this practice, repeat the experience by drawing on a sheet of paper waves corresponding to your breathing. Synchronize your hand and your rib cage: the pencil goes up to the inspires and goes back down to the end. "Drawing strengthens the body's signal to the brain, which makes it easier to memorize," says Dr. O'Hare.

Neuroscience has indeed proven that the repetition of these exercises of conscious breathing (to do three times a day) harmonized the two components of the autonomic nervous system: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.

The first, solicited by inspiration, mobilizes the energy necessary for action. When it comes into play, "the heart accelerates, the arteries and veins contract, the lungs relax and the pupils dilate," says Dr. O'Hare. At expiration, the parasympathetic system is stimulated. "The opposite happens then: the heart rate decreases, the arteries dilate, the lungs contract and the pupils," he continues. The organism recovers, relaxes, repairs itself, rests. When the two systems are in perfect balance, we are serene, alert but perfectly relaxed.

This is why many methods of personal development ( sophrology , gestalt therapy ...) use deep conscious breathing to soothe mental tensions, heal the wounds of the past and better manage emotions, while maintaining its physical tone. and psychic intact.

Air quality, as important as how to breathe

In the city, the quality of the air often leaves something to be desired.

Pollutants released by cars, heating and surrounding industrial activities cause respiratory problems (cough, asthma ...). Some gases, such as nitrogen dioxide, also promote the development of infections. As for the fine particles, they interfere so deeply in the body that they cause pulmonary insufficiencies and cardiovascular disorders.

To limit the amount of inhaled pollutants, avoid sports (jogging, cycling) near arteries with heavy traffic. During a physical exercise, one ventilates four to ten times more than at rest.

At home, where the air is even more polluted than outside, ventilate for at least fifteen minutes a day and avoid household products stuffed with perfumes and other undesirable chemical compounds. Prefer natural detergents or those with an eco-label.

* Co-founder of the information and coaching website www.desmauxetdesmots.com .
** She organizes singing workshops in Thalassotherapy in Roscoff (Finistère).
*** Author of Cardiac Consistency 365 and Lose Weight by Cardiac Coherence (Edited by Thierry Souccar).