Taking Pause To Discover the Breath
By Margot McKinnon
Help your clients find a healthy breathing pattern.
Optimal health cannot exist without efficient breathing. There is no one correct way to breathe, but a balanced respiratory process allows us to breathe in an appropriate way for any given situation – sitting quietly reading a book, running for the subway or climbing stairs two at a time.
Healthy breathing depends on both structure and function. One component that can be addressed directly in the Pilates studio is the diaphragm and its integral role every time we take a breath. The diaphragm is the primary respiratory muscle and is responsible for approximately 85% of the muscular action of breathing.
The Mechanics of Breathing
On the inhalation, the diaphragm descends and the lungs inflate with air. The diaphragm is shaped like a double-humped dome that pulls its own central tendon downward about ½ an inch onto the abdominal organs. This increases the vertical space in the rib cage and allows oxygen to rush in and expand into the lungs.
On the exhalation, the diaphragm relaxes and ascends while the lungs recoil and deflate. A normal exhalation then, depends on muscular relaxation rather than muscular engagement. Abdominal muscles come into play when we want or need to produce a more forceful exhale to help expel excess air from the lungs.
Unconsciously, many of people adopt faulty patterns of breathing. Reasons for these patterns have been linked to biomechanical, biochemical and psychological influences. While all three are intimately connected, intervention in one area can have very positive effects on the other two areas. In the Pilates studio, the mechanics of breathing can be addressed with simple exercises that focus on awareness and precise movement.
Correcting Faulty Breathing Patterns
Read the following descriptions and notice if you or your clients fall into any of these categories.
Reverse Breathing
In reverse breathing, the abdomen moves in on the inhalation and out on the exhalation. These people often experience shoulder and upper back tension.
Upper Chest Breathing
This type of breather relies on the upper body muscles because the lower ribs are unable to expand to allow the diaphragm to move and the oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange is poor. Chronic upper back, shoulder and neck tension are common for this person.
Collapsed Breathing
In this type of breathing, the person’s chest is drawn down and their shoulders are hunched. The result is shallow upper chest breathing and strain in the lower back. Collapsed breathing, at its extreme, can contribute to depression.
Frozen Breathing
Frozen breathers barely move when they take a breath. They take shallow breaths that actually increase tension in their entire bodies.
Addressing Faulty Breathing Patterns
In most cases, the natural respiratory process is more than willing to emerge if we commit to dismantling the restrictions that impede it. Here are four steps that will help clients let go of faulty breathing patterns:
Step 1:
Identify what clients do when they breathe. (Refer to the patterns previously described to make your assessments.) Observe carefully, and ask clients to describe how they experience their own breathing. Awareness is key to the structure/function continuum of change.
Step 2:
Teach clients simple mobility exercises for the spine and ribcage prior to teaching specific breathing exercises. This helps bodies to unwind and release excess tension. Try exercises such as the cat stretch, shoulder rolls, slow standing rotational movements starting at the head and working downward through the body, gentle arm sweeps in all directions and child’s pose.
Step 3:
Gradually educate clients towards more “generous” breathing. Allow them to breathe according to their own rhythm to start. Never impose a particular cadence. If people experience muscular tension or anxiety when they breathe, it is important to ease off. Sometimes attempts at deep breathing can actually lead to anxiety and panic attacks!
Try introducing the concept of a three stage inhalation whereby the abdomen inflates first, then the lower ribs expand laterally and finally the sternum lifts upward slightly. You may need to work on each component separately for a time before putting them all together. And remember, less often means more when it comes to reconditioning the breathing process.
Step 4:
Encourage clients to pay attention and explore different ways of breathing to improve overall capacity. The goal should always be to promote ease and adaptability so that varied breathing needs can be met without stress and strain. Most breathing exercises fall under one of two categories: diaphragmatic and costal (thoracic). There are hundreds of breathing exercises to choose from, so do your homework and observe your client carefully. Simply put, an exercise is effective if your client feels like her breathing is getting easier and if increased rhythmic movement throughout the torso is visible.
Benefits of efficient breathing
• Better oxygenation for the entire body results due to a balanced exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lower lobes of the lungs.
• Optimal function of the brain, organs and tissues is enhanced.
• Normal speech is supported.
• Mobility in the spine and ribcage increases while rigid muscular structures relax.
• Muscle tone improves in all of the muscles associated with breathing – from the pelvic floor to the scalene muscles in the cervical spine.
• The ability to contract and release muscles consciously is refined.
• Digestive function is enhanced because the movement of the diaphragm helps to modulate intra-abdominal pressure and provides a type of massage for the organs.
• Stress and anxiety are minimized, and many people can say goodbye to hyperventilating.
Margot McKinnon is founder and studio director of Body Harmonics Pilates. She certified as a Pilates instructor in 1994 and became a master teacher trainer for The Pilates Method in 1998. Her commitment to high-quality instruction is unwavering and is evident in every class she teaches. For more information, visit www.bodyharmonics.com.
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