Movement through breath

My latest concept that I'm working on is movement, exercise, placement, etc all through use of the breath. However, before we learn to do all this movement through breath, we must first relearn how to breathe. A good deep breath for the average person usually consists of a large expansion through the whole torso releasing the chest and abdominal muscles in order to make room for the lungs to expand. While a deep breath is a wonderful commodity now and again, if one is continually breathing with all of the frontal torso muscles released, they will never learn how to breathe with them engaged.

So what can you do?

The best remedy I believe is to make your breath a workout. Instead of releasing the abdominals when breathing in, one should try to pull them in further to breath, almost think of breathing the abdominals in as well as breathing air in. If all the abdominals come in, the lungs will have less room to expand, but if done properly, the pulling in of all the muscles while engaging in an inhalation will cause the sides to expand underneath the armpits and actually cause the torso to elongate slightly, making one "grow" so to speak. Once the abs are in, the lungs are full, and the torso elongated, one should then exhale through an intense contraction in the front of the torso bringing all the muscles in further to push the air out of the lungs.

The best way to begin experimenting with this process is in a controlled position on the floor. Constructive rest is something every individual needs but probably doesn't do enough of. It is much like meditation but finds positions to let the muscles relax and allow the joints to fall into place. Starting on one's back, hug the legs into the chest, resting the thigh on the torso and hugging the shins with the arms. Once in this position, one should then try the breathing technique. This is a perfect control experiment because with the legs in this position, there is something physical to pull away from. So while pulling the legs as close to the chest as humanly possible, one should then try to pull the abdominals away from the legs by use of the breathing technique explained above. For an even more intense stretch and strength exercise, pull the abs and the legs a little harder and a little further in so that the tail bone curls under and can lift off of the floor.

This is a wonderful beginning exercise to find ones breath and placement. It's also great for anyone with hip and back issues, as this breathing/relaxation technique elongates the lower back and puts the pressure on the abdominal muscles instead of the lower back vertebrae.

The other great thing about making breathing an exercise is it can be done all day long. Do it laying in bed, standing in front of the mirror, while walking down the street, while standing on one leg, while lifting something heavy, while doing the dishes. By making everything an abdominal workout and breathing exercise your body will always have the muscle placement it needs to avoid injury, and enough oxygen to sustain movements more efficiently.

Please post comments, responses, arguments, epiphanies, or ask any question if my descriptions are unclear. I will hopefully be posting a video tutorial on this so one can see and hear what I mean instead of just reading it. Hope this helps!!