Developing Conscious Control of the Breath
Phase 3 of the breathing programme uses a set of easy exercises to help in consciously expanding the thorax in all its available directions. Thus we can develop control over the depth and quality of each breath if we choose to do so. As a result, we can:
# Relieve stress, and calm ourselves by taking a few long, deep breaths
# Re-educate our breathing apparatus to healthier habits
# Establish a soft, rhythmical, and complete breath as our normal pattern during everyday activities
# Choose to maintain good breathing habits by occasionally ventilating the lungs to the full
Controlling the breath is as simple as making the decision to do so! You decide you want to expand the ribcage as described under The Breathing Process, send the mental instructions to the muscles involved, and allow it to happen! Then, magically, you find the lungs drawing in the air to fill the lung capacity you have created. Once full, you will want to let the breath out, so you choose to slowly and gradually relax the breathing muscles, and there you have it - the air is gently released from the lungs until you are ready for the next inbreath!
Remember - this is a simple activity that the body is designed to do from birth, so it’s not like we are trying to learn something new. This programme is all about the rediscovery of something that is a totally natural process. If it doesn’t seem simple initially, don’t get disheartened! It may take practice before you feel the muscles responding to your instructions.
Rest assured that all the breathing exercises you have been practising so far have prepared you for this moment of deliberate breath control. They are the firm foundation from which you can now take the next step.
Some exercises to help you get there
The following exercises are aimed at helping you achieve breath control and improve your ability to breathe deeply. A full, complete inbreath requires contraction of the diaphragm to move it in a downward direction, in conjunction with contraction of the intercostals to expand the ribcage out to the front, to the sides, and to the back (The Breathing Process)
These exercises, therefore, will help you focus on separately controlling the diaphragm and the expansion of the ribcage in each of its directions.
All breathing should be done through the nostrils, unless otherwise indicated.
Exercise 1 The complete breath
Give it a try! Let’s explore our potential first..... and just see what happens if we have a go at taking a complete breath.
Sit, or stand upright, with the spine softly lengthened and the head ‘floating’ on the neck, so that the ribcage is free and ready for action. Relax the shoulders away from the ears. Now – as you start to inhale through the nose, mentally direct the diaphragm downwards; continue the inhalation and direct the ribs outwards at the side of the chest and at your middle and upper back, finally lifting the breastbone forwards and upwards. Exhale by slowly relaxing the ribcage and the diaphragm, which will allow the breath to be expired from the lungs. Note that complete inhalation can only occur when there is no expansion of the belly below the navel. So apply gentle control of the lower tummy muscles throughout.
Easy? Impossible? A little movement somewhere? Try it again 2 or 3 more times just to see if you learn anything further about what is happening for you personally. No doubt, you’ve discovered that there’s an awful lot to do in a very short space of time!
I would suggest that you write down your findings, with the date, so that you can return to this in the future and see what progress you have made.
Precaution Putting too much effort into the process of breathing usually results in all the wrong muscles being used! It is very common to find that, on Inhaling, we are sucking the tummy in and lifting the shoulders up to the ears. Both actions diminish the breathing by restricting the diaphragm and the ribs. We’re looking for relaxed shoulders and a soft belly above the navel.
OK. So now we’ve had a go at taking a controlled complete breath, and maybe found that it’s just not happening yet! Don’t despair! Success is just around the corner. The final set of exercises below will allow us to master the complete breath and to rediscover the body’s ability to breathe easily and fully.
Exercise 2 Diaphragmatic breathing
This exercise is best done lying down with the knees bent (Alternative Relaxation Position [A]), or reclining in an easy chair (Alternative Relaxation Position [C]). Get comfortable then place both hands on your tummy in the area above your navel. Position the hands so that they are softly resting on the body with the fingers pointing to the midline. Now begin to engage your awareness on the contact of your hands on the belly. Become acutely conscious of that contact and what you may feel beneath your soft hands. Gradually, you may become aware of a gentle rise and fall occurring with each breath.
Now, we’ll see if we can increase that rise and fall by using deliberate control of the diaphragm. Keeping the hands on the belly,
# gently, and quietly, blow all your breath out through softly parted lips, as if you were blowing at a feather. Keep the outflow of breath slow, steady and continuous and allow the tummy muscles to be pulled in slightly as you do so. Feel this movement beneath your hands.
# at the end of the outbreath, close the mouth and release the tummy muscles; inhale through the nose, and mentally direct the breath down towards the area beneath your hands. Feel the hands being gently pushed outwards by the breath. Don’t worry about trying to bring the breath any higher than your belly; we’re focusing on movement of the diaphragm here and not concerned with the ribcage at all.
# when you’ve taken in as much air as is comfortable for you, start the process again..... gently blow all your breath out through softly parted lips..... etc. Continue in this manner, exhaling through the slightly opened mouth, inhaling through the nostrils.
Remain relaxed throughout, resisting the urge to try too hard, or to force anything. Keep it easy and enjoy the experience! Repeat for as many breaths as you wish.
Eventually, we want to be able to perform both the Inhale and the Exhale through the NOSE. As you revisit this exercise over time, try to develop the practice to the point where the mouth breathing has been eliminated.
Exercise 3 Diaphragm and lower ribs
This exercise requires our attention on the lower part of the front of the ribcage. It is impossible to expand this area of the ribcage without also engaging the diaphragm – in fact, lack of movement in the lower ribs is indicative of an inactive diaphragm. So, although our focus is to be with the lower ribs, the diaphragm will also be responding.
Lie down, or recline in your comfortable chair as for Exercise 2. Now place your hands along the lower ribs at each side of the body, with the fingers soft and pointing down towards the navel. Take the hands as far round to the sides as you can without causing any discomfort or tension in the arms and shoulders. The area you are looking for is below the breasts and above the belly. Release the elbows and shoulders down.
# slowly and gently blow all your breath out through softly parted lips, as if you were blowing at a feather. Keep the outflow of breath steady and continuous and allow the tummy muscles to be pulled in slightly as you do so. Your hands may notice the ribs closing together and your sides getting smaller.
# at the end of the outbreath, close the mouth and release the tummy muscles. Inhale through the nose, mentally directing the breath into the area beneath your hands, with the intent of expanding those lower ribs and moving the hands outwards. Focus only on the area under your hands.
# when you’ve taken in as much air as is comfortable for you, start the process again..... gently blow all your breath out through those softly parted lips..... etc. Continue in this manner, exhaling through the slightly opened mouth, inhaling through the nostrils.
Be at one with the inflow and outflow of your breath, as the ribs quietly expand and deflate under your direction. Continue with this exercise for as long as you wish, ensuring you remain relaxed and easy about the whole process.
Ultimately, you want to be able to perform both the Inhale and the Exhale through the NOSE. As you revisit this exercise over time, try to develop the practice to the point where the mouth breathing has been eliminated.
Exercise 4 Sideways expansion of the ribs
The following exercise is described in the standing position, but it can be performed just as well seated if you prefer. If you choose to sit, make sure you are on a firm, hard-backed chair or a stool, so that your spine is upright (not rigid) and free.
Breathe through the nose throughout this and all the following exercises
(A) Stand tall, with the feet hip width, or more, apart; have the toes pointing directly forwards. Sense that the head is perfectly balanced on the neck. The arms are resting by your sides; shoulders are dropped away from the ears. Imagine your whole spine is lengthening upwards, creating space and freedom between each vertebra. Pause for a moment or two whilst you bring your consciousness into the breath and feel that body and breath are ready to work as one.
(B) Turn the right palm out, then breathe IN as you raise the right arm sideways, keeping it straight if you can (though not stiff), fingertips reaching for the ceiling. Try not to disturb the alignment and freedom in the body that you have just created; so keep the shoulders down, the head balanced, and the spine long.
(C) Now, as you breathe OUT, bend sideways to the left – without losing the space between those vertebrae! So, keep the armpit lifting to the ceiling! The right arm remains close to the head; face and chest continue to look to the front. Avoid pushing the right hip out to the side, ensuring that all the movement is coming from the trunk.
(D) Use the next Inbreath to raise the body back to the upright position, lengthening through fingertips, arm, and spine as you do so. Feel as though your fingertips are reaching for the ceiling as you rise up. Watch yourself closely here! You will likely find that you are straightening up and then inhaling because it’s easier that way! See if you can start the Inbreath and the rising up at the same time, and then continue inhaling as you complete the movement.
(E) Finally, turn the palm out, and slowly Exhale as you lower your arm to rest once more by your side.
Work in exactly the same manner to the other side, raising the left arm and bending to the right. This completes one cycle. Repeat the cycle 2-3 times.
When you have become familiar with this exercise over a period of time, and you feel ready to take it a stage further, then you can try the following version, which will really test your ability to consciously expand the side of the ribcage for the intake of breath:
Advanced version for sideways expansion
Carry out parts (A), (B), and (C) above.
Once you are at (C) in the side stretch position, remain there and take a breath IN. Yes – it IS possible! Mentally direct the breath into the stretched side of your ribcage and you could amaze yourself. Hopefully, you will be aware of the ribs on that side lifting up and away from the middle of your chest. Remember to keep that armpit reaching for the ceiling! The secret is to really fix your attention where it needs to be – on the target area. Don’t even think about breathing anywhere else.
Once you have Inhaled, then slowly release the expansion of those ribs and let the breath out for the Exhalation. One breath like this may be enough for you, or you could take more breaths IN and OUT whilst you are bent to the side, should you feel able to.
Return to positions (D) and (E), as described above, and work in like manner to the other side. Repeat this cycle once or twice more, depending on how well you are coping with it. Always bear in mind, little and often is better than too much too soon; and remember, this is a demanding exercise, so don’t tackle it until you are experienced enough to do so.
Exercise 5 Expansion of the back ribcage
This one’s all about giving yourself a hug! Sit towards the edge of your hard-backed chair, with your feet squarely planted on the floor. Elongate the spine and neck, and hold the head lightly poised, chin level with the floor.
Now cross the arms over the front of the chest, reaching your hands towards your back. Position of the hands is not too critical; the aim of folding the arms is simply to inhibit the body’s ability to expand the sternum and the front of the ribcage; so reach the hands far enough around to ensure that your chest is nicely encircled. An alternative position for the hands is to place each palm under the opposite armpit. This will not create such a tight ‘hug’, but will nevertheless encourage the chest to remain inactive throughout this exercise. For either position, remember to release the shoulders down and make sure you are not concaving the chest and slumping forward.
Bring your full attention to the area of your middle back and mentally encourage that area to enlarge outwards and allow the breath to be drawn IN. Expand and breathe IN as much as you can without over exerting yourself. Next, slowly release the breath OUT by relaxing the muscles in that back area of your ribcage. Repeat this 3-4 times, consciously expanding and relaxing the ribs at the back, as you Inhale and Exhale to their rhythm.
Exercise 6 The middle chest
(A) Stand upright with chin parallel to floor, head nicely balanced on a long neck. Roll the shoulders backwards so that you can interlock the hands behind you. Now pull the shoulders down and away from the ears, feeling the shoulder blades coming towards each other in the middle of your back. Make sure you haven’t upset the alignment of your head and neck by pushing the chin forward, correcting it as necessary.
This posture should slightly tighten your back muscles, whilst opening up the chest in readiness for the breath.
***Place your awareness now in the front of the body and at the chest. Pause, and allow time to register what is occurring with the breath. You may notice that the chest is automatically rising and falling in tune with your breathing. Now make a conscious choice to increase that movement.
Deliberately, yet gently, send your mental instruction to the chest, asking it to expand forward and upwards to allow more breath into the front part of your lungs. When done, consciously and slowly release the chest muscles so that the breath smoothly flows out. Continue in this manner - expanding as you breathe IN, and releasing as you breathe OUT; nostril breathing only. Repeat for 4-5 breaths.
The arm position used here may be uncomfortable for some, especially if you have shoulder problems. If that’s the case, then try position (B) as an alternative.
(B) Sitting on your chair, take the hands behind you so that they rest on the seat of the chair. The objective is to achieve a broad chest and a closed back, by drawing the shoulder blades together, so experiment with arm and hand position with that in mind. You should find that drawing the elbows towards each other will have the desired effect.
Once you have found a position that doesn’t strain your body, then work on chest expansion as described for position (A) from ***
Exercise 7 The sternum and upper chest
The final area to work on is the upper chest. Sitting on that firm chair once more, check that your spine is long and your shoulders relaxed. Ensure the head is floating lightly above the neck and your face is soft.
Position the hands to rest on the upper part of the chest; the left hand just below the left collarbone and the right hand just below the right collarbone. The fingers should be pointing diagonally upwards towards the throat. Keep the hands soft and relax the elbows in to your sides and the shoulders down.
Concentrate now on the contact your hands are making with the body. As you Inhale, allow the area underneath the hands to expand upwards and outwards; then feel it receding as you gradually Exhale. Repeat 3-4 times.
NB: An alternative hand position for sensing feedback is to place just one hand over the middle of your upper chest so that you are in contact with the rise and fall of the breastbone. Some people may be more receptive to feeling movement at this point.
The upper chest represents a very small part of your lung capacity, so don’t expect too much movement. Nevertheless, there should be something happening there for you, so maximize it as much as you can.
Cautionary Note
Upper chest breathing is associated with a shallow breath and brings with it feelings of anxiety and stress. For this reason, I don’t want you to dwell for long periods on this particular exercise. On the other hand, it is not to be ignored, as this part of the breathing mechanism needs to be functioning as efficiently as the rest in order to rid the lungs of stale, stagnant, unhealthy air.
Work with these exercises over as long a period as you wish; success and mastery will depend on approaching them with a relaxed frame of mind, as well as frequency of practise.
If you find any of them - or all of them - particularly helpful or enjoyable, then revisit them whenever you want to.
When you are ready to move on, progress to Phase 4:The Complete Breath. Here you will find instruction and guidance on how to take all that you have learned up to this point, join up the dots, and practise smooth deep breathing, ie the Complete Breath.
