Sometimes just as you’re making headway — breathing better and feeling fewer health symptoms — something suddenly happens that makes you question whether you’re on the right path. 

Here is a great explanation about what’s going on, that I just came across reading a book called “Movements That Heal” by Dr. Harald Blomberg of Sweden. This is not a book about breathing, but it offers one of the best explanations of clearing reactions I’ve seen.

Here’s what Dr. Blomberg says about reactions to the easing of long-term muscle tension, which is what we’re doing when we’re breathing correctly using techniques and intention to relax the breathing muscles and all the muscles.

“(Heightened emotional reactivity) can also be caused by the easing of muscle tensions that we have acquired by long-term emotional stress and repression of our feelings of sorrow, anger or anxiety. When muscle armouring and defensive postures start relaxing we can react with irritation or depression as we start to release the repressed feelings.

“When we get scared or angry we contract the muscles of our legs, hips, back, shoulders and neck, the physical aspects of the fight-and-flight response or startle reflex. Also the diaphragm and the respiratory muscles of the chest are contracted. With a release of these muscles respiration and circulation improve.

“Long-term muscle tension and poor breathing often cause the body to accumulate toxins. With the release of tension the body can get rid of these toxins. Some of the physical reactions to the elimination of these toxins can be:

Coughing up phlegm
Flatulence
Nausea
Diarrhoea
Skin rashes
Itching
Fever
Colds
Swollen eyes
Headaches
Fatigue
Weakness”