Clavicular Breathing & Its Technique
Clavicular Breathing is centered around the collarbones and only comes into play when the body needs great amounts of oxygen, for instance, while exercising. It occurs after the thoracic inhalation has been completed. In order to absorb a little more air into the lungs, the upper ribs and the collar bone are pulled upwards by the muscles of the neck, throat, and sternum.
It has been suggested by some scientists that people use thoracic or clavicular breathing in order to block angry, aggressive, anxious, or fearful emotions from their conscious minds. These powerful emotions have strong associations with the lower parts of the body, including associations with lower chakras, so it only stands to reason that the breath is shallower in order to escape these emotions or at least tone them down.
How To Do Clavicular Breathing
- Lie on your yoga mat or a blanket in Shavasana and relax your whole body.
- Start inhaling and expand your ribcage fully, as in Thoracic breathing.
- Inhale a little more and feel the expansion in the upper portion of your lungs near collar bones.
- The collar bones and shoulders will also move up slightly.
- While exhaling, first release your collarbone area, the lower neck, and the upper chest.
- Then relax the remaining rib-cage portion and come back to the starting position.
- This is clavicular breathing. Continue this breathing for some time.
- Then relax and come back to your normal breathing.
- Again become aware of your natural and spontaneous breathing process.
- Become aware of your physical body and then the surroundings and then gently open the eyes.
In daily life, clavicular breathing is only experienced when under extreme physical exertion or maybe experiencing obstructive respiratory diseases such as asthma.
Although breathing is a spontaneous process, conscious control of it may be taken to learn and develop correct and deep breathing techniques. Rhythmic, deep and slow breathing exercises result in establishing the natural, relaxed rhythms of the body and mind.
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