how to breathe well - to heal faster during post-stroke rehab

Hi, it’s Peg and I’m here to tell you, and to show you, how important your proper breathing is during your post-stroke rehab.  It’s even important for everyone, whether they are post-stroke, or not!

5 Simple Principles of Proper Breathing

• Breathe in through your nose, exhale out through lips
• Breathe with your diaphragm
• Breathe relaxed
• Breathe rhythmically
• Breathe silently

Supporting your breath and movement, in-sync, is therapeutic and healing. Great breathing will help you:

• Reduce your stress
• Improve your movement
• Increase your sense of spirituality

So the point I am trying to get across here is that if you really want to feel better and move better, not only during stroke rehab but for the rest of your life, then make sure your breath is in line with your movement!
You’ve heard it before - breathe in & move one way / breathe out & move another way. Or, breath in & expand / breathe out & release.
DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH at any time while you are exercising!  Be aware of your breath while you exercise. For example, when I am doing my Chair Raise-Ups, I make sure that I breathe in when I lift my leg up and then I exhale when I lower my leg back off the chair.
I have heard and read a lot about breathing (just ask my brother, Don) and this is a combination of what I’ve found out so far, and am using for myself.

Breathing impacts both our psychological and physiological states. And our breathing (if it is not done correctly) will cause things such as muscle tension to high blood pressure and all things in between. Good breathing is therefore important for our overall good physical and mental well-health. The way to ensure good breathing is to change to proper diaphragmatic breathing to enhance good relaxation.

The reason for breathing is to get oxygen in our body and get carbon dioxide out. Diaphragmatic breathing involves an in-and-out movement of the abdomen that causes this to happen. The diaphragm is the major muscle used in our breathing.  It is that large and dome-shaped muscle at the bottom of our lungs.

Diaphragmatic breathing is intended to help you use the diaphragm correctly while breathing so you:

• Strengthen your diaphragm muscle
• Decrease the work of breathing by SLOWING your breathing rate
• Decrease oxygen demand (because you have slowed your rate)
• Use less effort and energy to breathe (again, because you have slowed your rate)

I will now share with you a Diaphragmatic Breathing Technique.

DIRECTIONS
Lie on your back on a flat (soft and cushioned) surface, with your knees bent and your head supported.
You can use a pillow or a cushion under your knees and neck to support your legs and head.
Place one hand on your upper chest and the other just below your rib cage.  
This will allow you to feel your diaphragm move as you breathe.

Breathe in slowly through your nose so that your stomach moves out against your hand.
The hand on your upper chest should remain as still as possible.

Tighten your stomach muscles, and let them fall inward as you exhale through tightly pressed (almost closed) lips. The hand on your upper chest should continue to remain still.

When you are first learning this breathing technique,
it may be easier for you to follow the instructions lying down.
Then you can try this sitting in a chair, and then standing up.

God Bless, Peg
“Success isn’t measured by money or power or social rank.
Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace.” Mike Ditka

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