Have you ever seen the fur stand up on the backs of cats or dogs when they get angry or scared? Human being possess exactly that mechanism, only it is less visible. The muscles in our backs and necks also tighten up when we are angry or scared, and unless we know a way to release these emotions in socially acceptable ways, we are likely to walk with them stuck in our backs and necks.
Research on breathing indicates that our breathing patterns make small and large changes within a split-second after a feeling of anger, fear, or sadness sweeps through us. It is becoming increasingly clear that the reverse is also true: that our breathing is also affected by – and affects – our physiology. If we can learn to breath consciously, we can learn how to change our physical reactions by controlling our breathing.
The sigh: relaxing the diaphragm This is a small exhalation that you can do spontaneously to relax. The difference between this and a normal exhalation is that the sigh has a slight momentum, an acceleration in the airflow. This momentum can accelerate the beginning or the end of the sigh, depending on the situation. Pulmonary elasticity is truly “released” and the inspiratory muscles do not make even a minimal attempt to prevent it from rebounding.
The sigh can be accompanied by a small “support movement”. During this short moment, which lasts the time of an exhalation in tidal volume, the muscles are visibly relaxed. For a brief moment, the sigh is both evidence of, and a means of, relaxation for a large part of the postural and respiratory musculature, especially the diaphragm. It is especially suitable for movements which occur during rest or relaxation, and for fluid movements.
We have to breath approximately twelve times per min. When done properly no one will notice, when done ineffectively the result in motion and strain can lead to unnecessary wear and tear of the upper vertabrae, shoulder girdle dysfunctions, mental stress, pressure on the heart and nerve entrapments of upper quadrant. Local treatments that never fully address the component of breathing never fully address these problems.
Breathing technique also plays an important role in executing the golf swing. The technique varies between people with and without cardiovascular problems. By improving the strength of the muscles involved in breathing, you will be able to recover faster after each hole, relax on the shots and maintain higher levels of energy walking the golf course, especially the ones with many hills. When you are tense, the muscles are under contraction and don’t allow you to execute movements smoothly or in a coordinated fashion. When you develop the ability to properly contract and relax the muscles, however, you will again be on your way to achieving a more effective swing.
