Why Breathing Matters
You take 17,000 breaths per day. It’s the first thing you do when you are born the last thing you do when you die.
And yet it is something you pay very little attention to. Last year James Nestor’s book, “Breath” was a New York Times bestseller. Since then breathing has gone mainstream.
Yogis instinctively understood the effect the breath had on both mind and body. Western science confirms this. Small shifts in breath can affect anxiety, stress, chronic pain and depression.
Did you know that the breath:
can lengthen and strengthen your spine?
turn on your core?
contribute to easeful shoulder function?
Benefits of Breath Training for You
Attention to breathing can have benefits if you are approaching mid-life. Especially during and after menopause. Women in menopause lose twenty percent of their lung capacity. Not to mention hot flashes and sleep issues.
Paying attention to pace, rhythm and pressure of breath can help calm yourself.
The loss of lung capacity doesn’t only affect whether you can catch your breath or not. It plays a role in whether your core works and whether your shoulders can find a base of support on the rib cage.
As a Pilates and Yoga Instructor, I regard how a client breathes as integral to how they move. I've seen back pain resolve, through breathing with attention.
Expansion and length versus contraction and compression
As you lose elasticity of the muscles inside and around your ribs your body collapses. Unable to support itself. Your spine collapses and compresses.
My clients who have scoliosis, benefit from learning how to breathe into areas of collapse. The breath becomes key to unravelling tensions in the spine that side bend and twist it. It also becomes a way of working with the body from the inside out in a tactile and accessible manner.
Expanding your abdominal wall stimulates your fascia. These cells, when tensioned send messages to the brain. Your brain then sends messages back to your muscles and fascia. This creates the ideal amount of tension around your joints. We all have a sweet spot for the right amount of stability and mobility.
Taking the breath off your mat and into your life.
Do you have difficulty bending to one side or twisting when you go to back out of your driveway? Focus your breath into those tight areas. It's like giving yourself a massage. The sense of space can help you lengthen and twist your spine.
Jellyfish Breath Exercise:
***Nestle an inexpensive inflatable Pilates Ball into your armpit
***Hold your opposite wrist and hug the ball into your side.
***Your knees are bent and your feet standing.
***Soften your shoulders
***Breathe 10-15 times per side
***Become aware of the sideways expansion of your rib cage.
Jellyfish Breath teaches you how to expand the contract your diaphragm muscle.
You may hold a lot of tension in this muscle. It may be preventing your core from reflexively engaging.
Yoga, Pilates, Life
Your breathing skills can have profound benefits on your Pilates or Yoga practice. Find simple ways that you can understand and practice.
Many breathing systems make the exercises too complicated. Start easy and slow and add a dash of consistency.
Soon you'll feel how the breath can shift how you feel and how you move. And you’ll be more inclined to want to practice.
Anywhere, anytime, at any age!
Moving in collaboration with your breath is something anybody can learn to do. It’s the secret sauce to a more resilient body at any age.
It’s often the way I start my classes. It calms you down. Helps you find your core. Is a wonderful way of coming home to yourself and giving yourself self-love.
Ready to try out the breathwork? Sign up for my newsletter below!
In exchange for your email, I’ll give you 1 hour of practical application exercise and education for you to begin experiencing the profound health benefits of breath awareness. You can rewatch and use it again and again.
This workshop will help you:
Eliminate muscle tension
Increase mental clarity
Enjoy deeper rest & more energy
Heal your digestive system
Calm and soothe your body and mind through Breath Work. A $40 value, absolutely FREE.