The importance of breathing.
As a massage therapist, I realise along with my studies and work-practice, that correct breathing is not something that many of us are aware of.
Indeed, breathing is important to oxygenate our organs, muscle and all body parts and also, breathing is what would boost the healing process along a massage session.
In fact, when we breathe, we introduce into the body Oxygen.
Oxygen is what our body uses as the first form of energy for functioning and self-healing.
Furthermore along with oxygen, when we breathe, there are a lot of other substances that get pumped around the body with the blood, like vitamins, minerals, hormones etc.
So how should we breathe, during a massage session?
To breathe we can mainly use the noose and the mouth.
By breathing by the nose we partly clean the air that we take in, things that wouldn’t happen when we breathe in by the mouth, as we would breathe whatever is in the air.
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But that’s all?
No.
Air inhaled through the nose is both warmed and made moist at the same time, but also preserves oral hygiene.
Furthermore, breathing in with the nose is a slower process and helps the mind to stay calm and grounded.
Breath-in by the mouth can lead to hyperventilation, that’s a cause of stress and or a response to panic and anxiety.
The mouth is part of the body that we should use to breathe out.
As we breathe out we want to let go of all the air that we inhale without interruption.
So, a better way of breathing would be, to breathe in through the nose and out of the mouth.
But where into inhaling the air that we breathe?
This is a question that we will see in the next blog post that would talk about the breathing wave exercise, an essential technique to calm down the mind, regulate blood flow and stimulate the relaxation of the nervous system.
Giovanni La Rocca
Giovanni moved to Melbourne, Australia, from Italy in 2008 and became a citizen in 2017. He started studying massage therapy in 2016, then completed a Bachelor of Health Science in Clinical Myotherapy in August 2024. During those years, he also specialised in Thai Massage and Manual Lymphatic Drainage for presentations like Lipedema and Lymphoedema. Nowadays, he runs his clinic in Fitzroy North, Melbourne, where he integrates movement therapy into his practice to enhance overall well-being. He also values meditation, having completed several Vipassana courses. Committed to continuous learning, he aims to share his expertise in integrated therapies to help others achieve balance and resilience.