In the book ‘The Modern Art and Science of Mobility’, an approachable format is presented for maintaining functional movement capability. This series of blogs will give an outline of the book. There are combinations of movements and therapies contained in the book that will not be presented within this series of outlines.
Breathing
Stress and Breathing – stress can be a barrier to adequate intake of oxygen and a hindrance to fluidity of movement. The physiological apparati that facilitate full breathing are distributed throughout the body. The lungs and diaphragm are needed for breathing. Yet breathing, really breathing, is to get breath to release all the way into the fascia.
Comfort Zone and Stress Zone – Zones are areas that denote potential advantage or probable disadvantage. Comfort implies ease of doing a thing. Comfort in breathing is the ability to extend breath fully and effortlessly throughout the body. An individual can establish a(n inner) state that encourages full breathing with minimal effort. Stress is inhibitory to and problematic for the purposes of breathing. Stress can come from physical or psychological sources. The body will incrementally adapt to the incurrence of repetitious, stressful situations. This scenario is facillitory of inadequate posture and suboptimal breathing
Muscular System and Breathing – Muscular fluidity is associated with the incidence of unrestricted breathing. The body’s ability to take in sufficient oxygen is precluded by improper breathing and this has negative impact upon performance. Movement does not and cannot (per se) occur in the absence of breath. Training modes are employed to develop the ability of the body to function on limited air supply. However, the general public must function on a continual supply of air.
Retraining the diaphragm – The diaphragm is a deep, deep physiological structure. While the origins and insertions that I just listed suggest two separate muscles here are a few ways the diaphragm and psoas are intricately linked. The median arcuate ligament is a ligament under the diaphragm formed by the right and left crura of the diaphragm and passes directly over the psoas major. The diaphragm has two crura, or tendons, that attach the diaphragm to the vertebral column. Just as the psoas major attaches along the lumbar spine, the crura of the diaphragm attach there as well. The right crus attach on the upper three lumbar vertebrae and the left crus attaches on the top two. No muscles work in isolation and everything in the body is connected—in some ways more literally than others. A good working relationship of the psoas and the diaphragm allows for them to function as designed and is integral to having a body that functions well and ages gracefully.
Training the respiratory System. The capacity to breath fully is attainable for nearly all humans. The key lies in developing a healthy balance between the capacities to fully inhale and completely exhale. There are various activities which require full, rhythmic breathing (i. e. . . . swimming). Yet, there are other training modalities that improve breathing in the absence of overt, physical activity (i. e. . . . pranayama). Learning to breath with minimal stress is key for maintaining the capacity to breath fully.
There are two ways in which the lungs can exhibit a compromised status. A low lung compliance means that the lungs are “stiff” and have a higher than normal level of elastic recoil. A stiff lung would need a greater-than-average change in pleural pressure to change the volume of the lungs, and breathing becomes more difficult as a result. A high lung compliance means that the lungs are too pliable and have a lower than normal level of elastic recoil. This indicates that little pressure difference in pleural pressure is needed to change the volume of the lungs.
Managing your day – To manage all stressors that can be encountered is challenging. Attention must be given to how one is breathing. Fullness of breath becomes compromised if the stressors are able to take hold. Throughout the day, one must take a moment to explore how fully they are breathing. Tactile references can be instrumental in this regard. Place your hand on any area that feels restricted and take breath to that area. Breath into that area until you feel it releasing.
Ab-Sutra Wellness and Fitness 