We tend to hold our breath when we’re stressed. Take a moment and think about that for just a minute. In the practice of Qigong it is often taught that where you hold your breath, that’s where you receive imbalances or pain. Think about that for a minute as well☺.
How many people say that their neck gets tight as the day goes on, and they attribute it to stress? You may even be one of those people. Take a look in the mirror and watch yourself breath normally. Do you see your neck muscles tighten or flare up when you inhale? Then, during the day when your stressed, you may notice that while you’re breathing with your shoulders and neck, you find yourself holding your breath in that spot. Same thing goes with holding your breath in the middle of your sternum – you may get chest tightness or have difficulty taking in a deep breath.
Where ever the breath is being held due to stress that is where the imbalance occurs. If we can identify why we are holding our breath, then we can let it go and begin to breath in that area again; and when we do that the imbalanced area can and does often heal.
Take inventory of yourself. Do you hold your breath? Is there something that you’re holding onto mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or even physically? Work to let it go and breathe deep.
Till next time. Thank you,
Dr. Josef Patterson DC
