The Breathing Room
Breathing room is something all of us need. That’s why we chose it for the name of our studio, “The Breathing Room”. It’s not necessarily a tranquil repose, unless that’s what you need at the moment, but a place where you can get whatever it is that you need. It’s a place to take a minute (or most likely an hour) to better yourself. With the fast pace of life, there is little time to focus on yourself, especially a part of your life that should be automatic and easy, like breathing. Yes, it should be automatic and easy. But is it really? If you truly paid attention, you would notice how frequently you actually hold your breath during the day, how different a deep conscious breath is versus your “normal” breaths, and where in your body you “breath into” versus areas of restriction that get little to no movement when you breathe. Sit for a second and focus on your breath. What is your breath pattern? Is it hard to take a deep breath? Do you feel different when you are able to take a deep breath? Does breathing in make your chest or your belly rise? Do your shoulders lift when you try to breathe deep? Go ahead, try it. Some of us might be great at it, but most of us will probably notice that actually taking a deep or conscious breath is very different from what we normally do. It may be difficult for you to take a really deep breath and even more difficult to sustain for a long period.
These days we can find people to teach us anything. My favorite YouTube videos lately are on learning the ukulele and press handstands (keep checking back on our Instagram or Facebook pages for possible updates on my strange hobbies). There are even people that can teach you how to breathe. There are an unlimited number of instructional breathing videos on YouTube, and many have hundreds of thousands of views. If you Google breathing expert there are so many hits it will make your head spin. That is how crazy life has become, that we need assistance with learning how to breathe; or at least how to breathe in a way that benefits us. As children we all know how to breathe naturally and easily, unless, of course, you have a respiratory issue. But as life gets in the way our breathing changes. Stress, anxiety, postural deviations, pollution, and normal aging can all lead to impaired breathing. Learning to breathe better has been shown to reduce stress and blood pressure, increase energy and focus, decrease pain, improve posture, detoxify the body, stimulate the lymphatic system, improve digestion, etc. Learning to breathe in a better way and control your breathing could clearly change your life. One great way to learn to breathe better is through Pilates.
In Pilates the focus is on utilizing and controlling the entire body, including the lungs, to maximize your mobility, strength, and balance. Pilates uses what is called lateral breathing. The idea behind lateral breathing is with each inhalation the ribs expand laterally, rather than allowing the ribs to flare up and forward, and to maintain the contraction of your abdominals throughout the exhalation and inhalation preventing excessive movement of your trunk and pelvis. Learning to control your abdominals in this way helps to maintain stability and proper alignment through your trunk and pelvis even when doing other activities such as sitting, standing, driving, and working. The focus is also on maintaining relaxation through the neck, chest, and shoulders by preventing activation of the accessory muscles (including the sternocleidomastoid and scalene muscles; see below) and the pectorals to prevent shoulder shrugging or curling forward which could lead to neck and shoulder pain. Practicing lateral breathing helps with improving the strength and mobility of the muscles related to breathing such as the intercostals (the small muscles between your ribs) and the diaphragm. These muscles, like all others, need exercise to maintain optimal function and will atrophy if not used properly. Using lateral breathing while practicing Pilates will train your muscles to help you to stand taller, breathe deeper, and feel better when moving throughout your day. Come see us at The Breathing Room to learn how to breathe better!