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Some Breathing Basics
If you like, pause for a moment to connect with your present breath; where do you feel it, what do you sense about it and what do you know about it? Can you let yourself know of one ingredient that stands between your current state of breathing and what you would like your breath to be like?
In this brief writing I cannot do justice to the complexity of the breathing mechanism, neither on the level of its anatomy nor in describing the many facets of breathing education and breathing skill. But I decided to begin a new group, BREATHITUDE, to explore and develop this life-giving force. See details in the announcements below.
For now I will focus on the diaphragm, the main breathing muscle, which originates from the inside of the lower ribs and the spine, where it reaches with longitudinal fibers downwards along the lower back vertebrae. The diaphragm is a dome shaped muscle that inserts into its own central tendon. It separates the thoracic part of the torso (ribcage/lungs/heart) from the abdominal part of the torso (digestive organs), only penetrated by vital transport tubes like aorta, vena cava and esophagus.
 
All muscles have an active phase, in which they contract and a passive phase in which they release. What do you think or know is the active phase of the diaphragm? Where does it go, when it contracts? Let this question stand before you, do not tense in your wish to know the correct answer. Wait a moment, don't rush. Most of all - do not hold your breath!
Breathing is an autonomous nervous system activity that does not need our consciousness in order to function. The breathing center sits in an older part of the brain, the brain stem, and reacts when the organism's oxygen level gets low. Various nerves cause the diaphragmatic muscle to act, that is to contract, that is to lower! So that was the correct answer: the activation of the diaphragm causes it to flatten and lower. By doing so it pushes the ribs outwards and presses the abdominal organs down, which causes the abdominal wall to protrude a bit.
 
Here is the right moment to deal with the concept of so-called 'abdominal breathing'. The breathing motion that can be felt deep down into the belly and pelvis is a passive movement resulting from the diaphragmatic pressure downwards on the inner organs. This movement is best felt, when we are lying flat on our back, because that is the position with the least amount of muscle tone in the abdominal muscles. This type of deep breathing has its place, but it is the realm of rest, meditation, calming, pain control...
A deeper understanding of the breathing mechanism must include layers of intercostal (between the ribs) muscles that contribute to both, inhalation and exhalation. In addition there are nerves sensing the fullness of the lungs and reversing the process of inhalation to exhalation. The skilled use of this complex apparatus provides the right breath for everyday activities and for highly skilled application by athletes and artists.
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