Seeking and Finding Wholeness

This article shows you in simple words how to practice thoracic or chest breathing.

Get Ready

• Wear something comfortable, nothing tight or restrictive. Take off your shows and socks
• Lay down on your back, sit in a meditative posture, or a relaxed posture
• Be relaxed
• Hands and legs outstretched (alternatively with both hands on your abdomen)
• First start with your eyes looking up at the ceiling
• Gently close your eyes and relax more

Start:

• Observe your natural breath
  • Focus your attention on your chest area.
  • You will notice as you inhale that your chest rises, that your chest falls with exhalation.
  • Observe this for some time and become aware of the movement without influencing it.
  • Concentrate on the sides of the chest, notice them move outwards and inwards.
  • Maintain unbroken awareness of the natural breath for some time.

• Begin to deepen, lengthen and extend that chest movement.
  • Discontinue the use of your diaphragm
  • While inhaling, let the rib cage expand
    • Feel the movement of the individual ribs outward and upward
    • Be aware of this expansion, drawing air into the lungs
  • While exhaling let the chest fall completely
    • Exhale by relaxing the chest muscles
    • Feel the rib cage contracting and forcing the air out of your lungs
  • Keep the abdomen still throughout this entire process.
    • Only move the chest
    • Do not use the diaphragm
• With total awareness, breath slowly and deeply through the chest
• Continue this for 20 breaths, or a few minutes
• Pause slightly after each cycle (inhalation / exhalation)
• Rest
• Start over as desired

Important Notes:

All of the above steps should be done without strain. It is quite normal to use force or effort; do not. Rather, make the breathing process smooth and effortless. Go slow and easy.

Think of your breathing process as a continuous wave-like pattern.

Remember, keep the breath in a smooth flowing pattern with minimum effort and with maximum capacity.