OPTIMIZE YOUR BREATHING

FOR
OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE

. . . Now . . . & . . . Now . . . & . . .

. . . Again . . . with Soft Belly . . .

by

Malcolm F. Dayton, LPC, CHt

(Coaching Your Self Healing)

Copyright © 2009 by MFDayton,LPC,CHt

http://CoachingSelfHealing.com
All rights reserved worldwide.
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Please note that much of this publication is based on clinical and personal experiences and
anecdotal evidence. Although the author has made every reasonable attempt to achieve complete
accuracy of the content in this Guide, he assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.

Also, you should use this information as you see fit, and at your own risk. Your particular
situation may not be exactly suited to the examples illustrated here; in fact, it's likely that
they won't be the same, and you should adjust your use of the information and recommendations
accordingly.

Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the
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is intended to replace common sense, legal, medical or other professional advice, and is meant to
inform and entertain the reader. So have fun and learn with this powerful
CoachingYourSelfHealing information.

About the Author

Malcolm Dayton is a Licensed Counselor with more than two decades

specializing in providing coaching & clinical counseling services to individuals
(and families) facing Chronic Illness. In addition, Malcolm is certified in
MindBody Medicine and Hypnotherapy.
Malcolm's Coaching Your Self Healing program is unique as it is based not only on his
clinical work with chronically ill individuals, but also on his own lifelong journey with
chronic illness (multiple sclerosis, asthma, immune deficiency).
In short, Malcolm walks his coaching!
Malcolm's mission is simple--to Coach You WELL!

You may contact Malcolm directly:

mdayton@CoachingSelfHealing.com

To sign-up for a FREE (:45) Initial Coaching Session:

http://CoachingSelfHealing.com/sq

Find additional Self Empowering articles: http://CoachingSelfHealing.com/blog

Copyright © 2009 by MalcolmDayton,LPC,Cht.
Http://CoachingSelfHealing.com/sq
All rights reserved worldwide.
Breathing! We all do it about 15 times a minute, 900 times every hour, 21,600 times
every day, and 7.9 million times each year! So you would think this breathing thing is
something we'd be pretty skilled at by adulthood. Indeed, you may even consider
yourself to be a breathing pro: Heck, you do it so well, you can even do it in your sleep 

Yet, most of us, most of the time fail to breathe in a way that optimizes our moment-to-
moment experience and performance. More problematic is that how we have become
conditioned to breathe actually serves to escalate and intensify anxiety when under
stress! So, even though you've done it millions of times in your life, it's time to relearn
how to breathe naturally!

You will need to periodically attend to your breathing – at least for a couple of days.
Then, once retrained to breathe optimally, you will open your life to a whole array of
renewed adventures:

• You will discover a new source of energy that can stop fatigue dead in its tracks.
• You will notice you think clearer; and
• You are even more creative.
• You will learn how your breathing can (and does) escalate fear and anxiety, or
• Calm you into peace . . . while all around you is spinning out of control.

Such is the power of relearning to breathe optimally.

In my coaching and counseling, this is absolutely the FIRST skill I teach new clients –
Because the most powerful way to be in the world is in alignment with how the body
naturally functions. I have experienced lifelong smokers discontinue smoking altogether
with just the determined application of this one powerful skill! Optimal Breathing has
been like manna from heaven in controlling chronic pain – my own as well as my clients.

And no, you do not need to become a mystic yogi to achieve such results; nor do you
need to do “deep breathing”. In fact, because we have so modified our breathing, “deep
breathing” becomes ineffective-breathing-with-more-vigor, and it tends to make you light-
headed and faint (which is why “deep breathing” can feel so aversive). Stay away from
“deep breathing”: It will only serve to escalate anxiety!

Instead, you simply need to relearn what you once knew naturally as an infant; but
were trained out of by well-intentioned parents, teachers and coaches who remolded your
breathing over your childhood years. In fact, they taught us to hold the body in the exact
opposite positions of its natural mechanics: They taught us to stand up straight, stomach
in, & shoulders back – and we've breathed constricted ever since!

Have you ever watched a sleeping infant? Most striking is that during sleep, the only
detectable movement occurring is . . . the slow . . . rise . . . and . . . fall . . . of soft belly.
Even when awake, a healthy infant will breathe from soft abdomen, not the chest.

Yet, if I ask you now to take in a noticeable breath and discern what moves, most likely
your shoulders and sternum will rise up and away from your abdomen – which is the
breathing associated with hyperventilating. It may even be the case that your belly does
not expand at all; such being the power of childhood conditioning!
Now, if I ask you again to take in a noticeable breath from your abdomen, you may find
yourself bumbling about as you did when trying to simultaneously rub your belly and pat
the top of your head; so trained is our diaphragm to no longer fully engage naturally.

There is good news, however, and that is, we still do tend to breath naturally when asleep.
More good news is we are still pliable and easily retrained: In fact, your body will
welcome the attention! So let's get on with it.

First, it is important to have a basic understanding of the breathing process in order to

reset our conditioning. There are 3 important fundamentals to breathing optimally:

1. Anxiety creates more anxiety: If you are nervously waiting to deliver a

presentation, most likely your abdominal muscles tighten and you begin to breath
more rapidly. With tense abdominal muscles, however, the rapid breathing
becomes localized in the “upper chest”, and we use the tiny muscles between the
ribs (intercostals) to pull our chest up and out; but our lungs move little, resulting
in less oxygen per breath & an increase of carbon dioxide in our blood. The body's
normal response (to this, “up-set”, hyperventilating state) is a flood of adrenaline
(i.e., the fight/flight/freeze response) and suddenly we are trapped in a vicious
cycle of increased heart rate, more rapid upper chest breathing, less oxygen, more
adrenaline, and so on, until it's time for “paper bag” breathing 

2. Your lungs don't breathe – your diaphragm breathes

you: In the sketch, notice colored lines “3” and “4” which
represent the up/down breathing motion of the diaphragm
[that large dome-shaped muscle beneath our lungs/heart
(“1”) that sits as a “roof” over our abdominal organs (“2”)].
Since, our lungs are not muscle, as the diaphragm contracts
downward toward the abdomen, the lungs are passively
expanded downward, and air rushes into the lungs due to the
vacuum formed in the chest. As the diaphragm relaxes
upward, air is exhaled. Notice, on healthy inspiration, as the
diaphragm contracts downward (“3” “4”), the abdomen and
sternum are pushed forward (“8” “6”), and the intercostals
are not engaged. Hence, you can see the problem that
arises as we tighten our abdominal muscles when anxious:
The diaphragm cannot fully and naturally contract,
oxygenation is diminished, and heightened anxiety looms.

3. To relax your abdominal muscles, focus on your lower back: Huh? Think
about it: Our lower back muscles are meant to hold us upright, so we must engage
them more than our abdominals. To do so, first, adjust feet shoulder-width apart,
and bend your knees slightly. Then imagine “flattening” the curve in your lower
back (by rotating the tilt in your pelvis up and back toward the spine): Now, relax
into “soft belly”.

With knees slightly bent, flatten curve in

lower back by rotating pelvis
as shown.
Then, be
“soft belly”!
 OPTIMAL BREATHING RETRAINING

THE OPTIMAL BREATHING POSTURE

With feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent slightly & flat back (i.e., front of
pelvis rotated up & toward back), you are being held erect by your back muscles;
so, you can easily relax your abdominal muscles and experience “soft belly”.

This Optimal Breathing “posture” may feel awkward at first (particularly so for
women who have been indoctrinated with holding tummy in), but consider it as
your opportunity to “settle-down” (as opposed to being “up-set”): You can think
of the posture as a variation on the opening stance of virtually every martial art
from around the world. Which is why this posture is so empowering; because you
settle down into a firm and grounded posture, in line with your center of power
(about 2 finger-widths behind the naval, and 3 finger-widths below the naval): This
is your physical center of gravity (also known as the hara or lower dan tien); so you
first settle down into a strong and stable foundation. It is from this position that
you will relearn to breathe naturally, optimally now.

PREPARATION

• For purposes of learning, you may begin by lying comfortably on your back.
• Bend knees (to help naturally flatten your lower spine against the support on which
you are resting. It may help to place a pillow beneath both knees).
• Place a sturdy (but not heavy) book on your lower abdomen.

OPTIMAL BREATHING

1. Begin by breathing out to full exhalation (book with abdomen relaxes toward spine)
2. PAUSE (naturally allowing your diaphragm to breathe you)
3. Being Inhaled (noticing the book gently rising upward with your abdomen)
4. (Gentle PAUSE at full inhalation)
5. Relax into exhaling (noticing the book lowering toward your spine)
6. (Gentle PAUSE at full expiration)
7. Repeat steps 2 thru 5: (From full expiration) . . . PAUSE . . . being inhaled . . .
(book rises upward) . . . PAUSE . . . relax into exhale and book lowers down . . .
PAUSE . . . & again . . .

Notice, it is the “PAUSES” that provide the relaxation effect; as pausing on inhalation
allows full oxygen transport into the blood, & the pause after exhalation allows for a slight
sense of oxygen deprivation, so that inhaling is triggered naturally and spontaneously
without conscious intervention. Note, these are just slight pauses (no gasping or forcing);
rather, just gently pausing for a second or two.
Once, you are comfortable performing Optimal Breathing in the recumbent position, begin
performing repetitions from a seated position (knees bent, soft belly). When comfortable
with sitting breath, begin Optimal Breathing while standing; with feet shoulder-width
apart, knees slightly bent, flat back & soft belly (exhale, pause, inhale, pause). It's
“Feet, Knees, Back, Belly” that “exhale, Pause, inhale, Pause” – Shoulders remain still.

Perform this routine multiple times each day for just a few cycles of breathing each time.
You can become very skilled at Optimal Breathing by stopping into routine daily moments
and remembering to apply it; for example, apply Optimal Breathing:

• During commercials when watching TV

• While standing at the kitchen sink
• In the shower
• When stopped in traffic (Optimal Breathing can soothe an otherwise hectic
commute)
• Teach it to your spouse and children as a remarkably functional stress management
routine, particularly when applied during conflicts
• Teach it to co-workers (for a more relaxed and creative work environment)
• And most certainly, optimally breath on the golf course and tennis court
• Always use it for some minutes before going up to give a presentation

• Once at the podium, settle into the Optimal Breathing posture (F-K-B-B) and allow
for a couple optimal breaths (e-P-i-P) – You will be amazed at how smoothly, calmly
you will present because you are truly present – and, yes, it is a remarkable gift to
yourself! 

Optimal Breathing will always bring you back to calm, stable peace. Make this your new
way-of-being throughout your day and enjoy the transformation that occurs naturally –
what were once “awful” experiences become awe-full . . . as you breath optimally now .
. . & . . . now . . . & . . . again . . . with soft belly!

Caringly, Breathe Well!

Malcolm

Respiration Graphic Source: Cutter, Calvin First Book on Analytic Anatomy, Physiology and Hygiene, Human
and Comparative (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1875) 88.
Copyright: 2009, Florida Center for Instructional Technology.

©2009byMFDayton,LPC,CHt
http://CoachingSelfHealing.com/sq
All rights reserved worldwide.