Badrinath Gella walks through an 8-point checklist to assess your breathing without equipment. Normal is 12-16 breaths per minute, but slower is better. He covers depth, rhythm, chest versus diaphragm movement, effort, posture, and signs of tension like sweating or fidgeting.
Chapters
Breathing is a vital function of our body, but yet we take it for granted. We don't pay attention to the way we breathe, that leads to many health issues. By just evaluating your breathing, you can gain valuable insights into your breathing patterns and improve your overall health and well-being. In this video, I will show you how to evaluate your breathing through simple observation and self-assessment techniques. You don't need any fancy equipment or tools. All you need is a quiet place and a few minutes of your time. By the end of this video, you will have a better understanding of your breathing patterns and how you can improve them. So, if you're ready to take a deep breath and explore your breathing patterns, let's get Started. Here is the 8-point checklist to evaluate your breathing. Please do along with me. It just takes few minutes. So to evaluate your breath, it will help you a lot to understand your breathing patterns. The first one is breathing rate. How many breaths do you take in 1 minute? As per yogic philosophy, we say our lifespan depends on number of breaths. It's not number of years. The more slow you breathe, the better it is. Consider a dog and a tortoise. Dog breathes very fast and rapid. The lifespan of a dog is 10 to 12 years, whereas the tortoise breathes very slow. The lifespan of tortoise is 200 to 300 years. So take 1 minute of your time and evaluate your breath. How many breaths are you taking per minute? Is your respiratory rate within the normal range? Is it between 12 to 16 breaths per minute or not? If it is more than 16, it's not good at all. If it is between 12 to 16, it's okay, it's normal. But focus on reducing less than 12 so that you can improve your lifespan. The second point is breathing depth. Do you take shallow or deep breaths? If you are taking shallow breaths, you are prone to more diseases because you are not using your respiratory muscles. You are not using the capacity of your lungs. So note down this point. Are you taking shallow or deep breaths? Are your breaths consistent in depth, or are there any variations throughout the day? Observe, take pause, and evaluate how Observe it and note it down. Third thing is rhythm. Is your breathing regular, or are there any pauses or irregularities throughout the day? Reflect on your breathing and note it down. Is the rhythm of your breaths even and consistent? Because sometimes the people's rhythm is not consistent, like throughout the day their breathing patterns keep on changing, keep on changing. So observe this, note it down. And fourth point, very, very important point, the chest and abdomen movement. Are you primarily using your chest or diaphragm to breathe? It is very, very important to engage the diaphragm muscle between your chest, between your lungs and your abdominal muscles, abdominal organs. So Some people squeeze their abdomen and they breathe through chest, which leads to many health diseases. So write down, are you breathing through your chest or your abdomen to diaphragm? Is your movement of your chest and abdomen consistent and synchronized? If you are engaging both of them, is it synchronized or not? Observe them. The fifth point is effort. Do you feel like you are breathing effortlessly or struggling to breathe? Many people I see, like, they struggle a lot to breathe. Is there any sign of labored breathing? Try to evaluate and note it down. Breathing sound: Do you hear any sounds or wheezing when you breathe? We have to breathe softly and exhale softly. It is very, very important. So are you making any sounds? Observe it and note it down. Is there any sign of congestion or obstruction in your breathing passages? So again, note it down. Seventh point is another important point, is posture. What is your posture like when you breathe? Are you hunching forward or sitting and standing upright? It is very, very important to sit upright because when you are hunching forward, you are pressing your lungs, you are compressing your lungs. It is not getting enough space to breathe completely. So observe that the patterns of your day and how long you are sitting upright, how long you are hunching your back. So if you are sitting hunching your back for longer time, it affects on your breathing. And 8th one, and the final one, is non-verbal cues. Are you showing any non-verbal cues that suggest discomfort or anxiety? Note it down if you have any, any of these cues. Some people also put a lot of pressure on their facial muscles. They squeeze their facial muscles. They breathe like this. So if you are doing any of these cues, note it down. Are there any signs of sweating or fidgeting? So note it down if you have any sweating or fidgeting while you are breathing. It's very, very important. This is a very simple self-assessment tool to understand your breath. What is your score? How you are breathing? If you have any, any trouble on these points, you should— you must start practicing breathing exercises. To improve the quality of your breath? Answering these questions will help you to become more aware of your breathing and understand your breathing patterns and where to fill the gaps, where to improve. You will get— you will have a greater clarity on where to improve. So from today, you should work on the elements where you wanted to improve through different breathing practices. You can visit many of my videos and integrate into your lifestyle and improve them. If you want to practice along with me, join me, the Conscious Breathing Hub, where I am happy to teach you, handhold you to improve your respiratory health and to improve your breathing health. Thank you. See you again. If you found this value— this video valuable, please like and share it with your friend, and do not forget to subscribe to our channel. Thank you. Namaste.
