A few days back, I experienced some difficulty in breathing, especially after running for a while. Felt heavy in the chest. Didn't continue for long but scary enough not to indulge in any heavy-duty exertion.
But I find it difficult to feel good without some physical workout, in any form. Trying to find out the reasons for this heaviness in the chest, I read about all possible reasons. I diagnosed that I was breathing wrongly.
For some time, I was breathing a lot through my mouth instead of my nose while running. I read about the recommended ways of breathing. For running at slower speeds, they say you can adopt a 3-2-3-2 pattern of breathing. It means inhale thrice then exhale twice then inhale thrice then exhale twice and so on, matching this process with the moments when your feet hit the ground. The logic is when your feet hits the ground, you exhale greater air than what you inhale. So to breathe in the required air, there should greater inhalations and lesser exhalations.
I tried this in the last few days. On occasions, I felt comfortable but on occasions I felt I was taking in more air than required. My lungs and diaphragm felt full and I was 'huffing and puffing'.
Today I tried 3-2-2-2-3-2-2-2 pattern. And wow! I had a very satisfying run. No 'full' feeling. No discomfort. No huffing and puffing.
The most commonly observed form might not be the most fitting form. You can change to suit yourself and that's the origin of a different style, a different pattern, a new thing in its own right and, importantly, a new opportunity when the time comes…
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