Dog Pant for Breathing

Dogs-PantingDogs understand things simply.

They get hot and they pant.

They run hard and they pant.

They get excited and they pant.

Simple.

Probably the most easy way you can learn to use your diaphragm well is to do the Dog Pant breathing exercise.

Here’s the easy thing to remember about how this works:

  • Breath In = Diaphragm and belly go out
  • Breath Out = Diaphragm and belly go in
  • Another important thing to remember is to keep your shoulders relaxed as you breath in. Watch yourself in a mirror and make sure your shoulders are not hunching up.

    You can also do this to understand the simple thing that even dogs get:

  • Lie flat on your back on the floor with your legs and arms uncrossed
  • Rest one hand gently on your belly, just below your belly button and the other just below your ribcage but above your belly button
  • Close your eyes
  • Breath normally
  • Notice that your belly goes up when you breath in and down when you breath out
  • Notice that your diaphragm goes up when you breath in and down when you breath out
  • Repeat this action several times until you can feel how the breath NATURALLY works
  • Now stand up and breath the same way, putting your hands in the same places. Your belly and diaphragm should go out when you breath in and in when you breath out
  • And don’t forget that fat in the belly can hinder your progress so work on getting rid of that too.

    Photo courtesy of:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/78428166@N00/ / CC BY 2.0
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