Breathwork: Four Types of Breathing

Our bodies breathe naturally without us even having to think about it and we have conscious control of our breathing when we want to. The goal of breathwork is to support others in achieving a greater sense of self-awareness. Learning how to breathe fosters a greater capacity for self-healing through self-regulation and the nervous system. There are four types of breathing. Thoracic Breathing(mid-chest), Clavicular Breathing (upper chest/throat, collarbone area), diaphragmatic breathing (belly/abdomen) and paradoxical breathing.

Diaphragmatic breathing is also known as “abdominal” or “belly” breathing. Breathing like this encourages a full exchange of oxygen, slows the heartbeat and can lower or stabilize blood pressure.

Clavicular breathing involves only activating the upper chest, throat or collarbone area . During this type of breathing, the breath will not travel below the collarbone on the inhale. This breathing is used by the body when greater amounts of oxygen are needed, for example during exercise.

This breathing is known as shallow or chest breathing where a person will draw air into the chest area using the intercostal muscles rather than through the lungs using their diaphragm. It draws minimal breath into the lungs. It is okay to use this method by choice, but may not be as beneficial if it is a default breathing pattern.

Paradoxical breathing is often a sign of breathing problems. It causes the chest to contract during inhaling and to expand during exhaling, which is the opposite of how it should move. This can be normal in infants, but in children and adults it can be a symptom of an underlying medical condition (Zawn Villines, 2017).

Understanding the four types of breathing is a good place to start on a path to consciously choosing how to breathe throughout the day. When you consciously and intentionally breathe during your massage session, it increases the benefits of massage.

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