The lungs are two sacs that can be stretched upward, sideways, and downward. This creates three different types of breathing.
Upward breathing is called clavicular breathing, which involves raising the collarbones. This is how people breathe under stress — the “fight or flight” response. Normally, this type of breathing should stop once the cause of the stress has passed, but modern people tend to dwell on it and continue breathing this way. This type of breathing is considered the least effective, as it uses only the upper part of the lungs, providing a minimal amount of oxygen.
Sideward breathing is called thoracic breathing, which involves the expansion and contraction of the ribs. It is used in everyday activities and at moderate exertion, such as brisk walking and light jogging. It provides more oxygen than clavicular breathing. This type of breathing is also used by those wearing a tight belt.
Downward breathing is called diaphragmatic breathing, which involves a special muscle, the respiratory diaphragm. This muscle is like a dome stretched along the lower border of the ribs, between the lungs and the abdomen. When it tenses, it becomes flat, like a pancake, descends, and presses on the abdominal organs. The abdominal muscles relax, and the abdominal organs move forward slightly. Therefore, other names for this breathing include abdominal breathing and belly breathing.
This type of breathing provides a much greater volume of oxygen than the previous ones.
Because of this, some women who begin breathing this way during a massage experience the required amount of air for the first time in a long time and experience mild symptoms of hyperventilation — mild dizziness, tingling in the arms, legs, and face.
With this type of breathing, the diaphragm mechanically presses on the vagus nerve in the abdominal organs—the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system. Stress is switched off. Rest, relaxation, digestion, arousal stability, and the ability to sense millions of body signals are activated.
Just what you need for a massage.
So I repeat again and again and again: “Slow, deep breath in… and the same slow breath out… relaxed abdominal breathing…”
Other details of the massage are described in the online course about yoni massage.
