An easy way to breath deeper and more fully

I wonder if there is a muscle hierarchy in the body.

We humans can certainly decide that this muscle is more important than that muscle.

But if you asked your body which skeletal muscle it would say is the most important one, my guess is it would say ‘the diaphragm’.

Without the diaphragm no breathing. Without breathing … well, no need to go there, I think.

Thankfully, the body takes care of breathing by itself. But we can give a helping hand or in this case some helping fingers.

The other day we did lung sponging. Now how would sponging your diaphragm look like or rather feel like?

There is so much attention on strengthening the abdominals. In fact, there is so much attention that maybe we sometimes forget that if you abdominals are too strong, it can have a negative effect on your breathing simply because your myofascial structures are too tight.

I find that imaging that you sponge your diaphragm can release some of this tightness and bring ease to your breath.

I will show today’s exercise “Sponging your diaphragm” sitting on a stool but I suggest that you do it lying on your back as you will relax the abdominal area much more.

What is the exercise about?

• Bring awareness to your breath.
• Release tension in the myofascial structures in your lower rib area

What do I like about it?

• It is calming because you slow down and focus on your breath.
• The ability to enjoy a fuller breathing capacity has so many positive side effects.
• I like the release in the myofascial structures in the abdominal area – it will make abdominal exercises so much more effective when they have been released a bit before.
• It brings awareness to how the ribs move – or maybe don’t move or maybe move more on one side compared to the other.
• You mobilise your ribbasket.
• It has an effect on your posture because you release the myofascial structures around your ribbasket.

What prop do you need?

The best prop of them all – your fingertips … ;o)

Where to place the prop

You start by placing them on the lower ribs and make your way underneath them when you breath out.

Which course/workshop is the exercise from?

• The Franklin Method – Breathing

I taught this workshop as part of the training programme “Åndedrætsterapeut” in Skolen for åndedræt in Denmark.

If you are curious about The Franklin Method, take a look at their website or mine.

You might also be interested to know that The Franklin Method Teacher Training Level 1 will run in October 2021 in Denmark. You can read more about the first module here.

And here is the video …

Video length: 6:35 minutes