We’ve forgotten how to breathe – here’s what to do about it.

We do it over 20,000 times a day without thinking, and yet we’ve forgotten how to breathe properly.

The way we live today—dominated by stress, technology, and sedentary habits—has disconnected us from our bodies and caused us to unknowingly drift away from one of the most fundamental aspects of our well-being: the natural rhythm of our breath.

Modern living has disrupted our natural breathing pattern.

• Chronic stress - while short-term stress is a normal response to danger, prolonged stress (caused by modern lifestyles) keeps the body in a state of fight-or-flight leading to shallow chest breathing and increased carbon dioxide sensitivity (ie. less efficient breathing).
• Sedentary lifestyles and poor posture
• Disconnection from nature and mindfulness
• Over-reliance on mouth breathing
• Perpetual multitasking and mental overload - people are often too preoccupied to notice how they’re breathing.

Bad breathing affects your gut

Many people breathe shallowly, only using the upper chest and neck. This limits oxygen intake and keeps the body in a low-level state of stress, disrupting digestion and increasing inflammation over time. Proper breathing can counteract these effects by:

• Activating the parasympathetic nervous system — your "rest and digest" state promoting better digestion
• Increasing oxygen supply to the gut
• Reducing cortisol levels (stress hormones)
• Stimulating the vagus nerve to enhance gut motility and enzyme production.

The science of breathing for gut health

Belly breathing means that you're using a muscle called the diaphragm to help with breathing. Belly breathing sends signals for you to relax and stimulates a rest and digest state.

This type of breathing can:

1. Stimulate peristalsis: the wave-like muscle contractions that move food through your gut
2. Improve oxygenation: better oxygen levels reduce inflammation and support gut healing
3. Support the microbiome: A calm, low-stress environment fosters a balanced gut microbiome.

3 easy drills for better breathing

i. Diaphragmatic (belly) breathing

1. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
2. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.
3. Inhale deeply through your nose, allowing your belly to rise (your chest should stay still).
4. Exhale slowly through your mouth, letting your belly fall.
5. Repeat for 5–10 minutes daily or during moments of stress.

ii. Global breathing

After you've mastered belly breathing – try global breathing.

1. Stand wth your hands on your hips

2. Press your fingers into your belly, and your thumbs into the soft part of your back about where your kidneys are (above your hipbone at the back)

3. Belly breathing into your fingers and your thumbs so that your belly, sides of your belly, and your back all expand at the same time.

4. Repeat

iii. Belly breathing with your chin tucked down

1. Do your belly breathing, but this time, tuck your chin in towards your neck as if you were holding a dollar bill under your chin and against your neck.
2. Belly breath and keep your chin tucked in.