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Mechanisms of breathing -- inspiration

When you breathe in:

  • intercostal muscles between the ribs contract, pulling the chest walls up and out
  • the diaphragm muscle

    below the lungs contracts and flattens, increasing the size of the chest

  • the lungs increase in size, so the pressure inside them falls. This causes air to rush in through the nose or mouth.

Mechanisms of breathing -- expiration

When you breathe out:

  • Intercostal muscles between the ribs relax so that the chest walls move in and down.
  • The diaphragm muscle below the lungs relaxes and bulges up, reducing the size of the chest.
  • The lungs decrease in size, so the pressure inside increases and air is pushed up the trachea and out through the nose or mouth.
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When practicing the breathing technique of alternating between breathing in and out of one nostril, you should focus on the right nostril first.


Is breathing a voluntary action?

No, breathing is not voluntary. We breathe because we need to and we don't think about it. If we didn't breathe we would be dead, so it is an involuntary action. Breathing is unique in that you can temporarily control it, but most of the time breathing happens without thinking.


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