Breathing

The harder you exercise, the more you need every avenue of expansion possible. So yes, if you are exercising hard, you will belly breathe (as well as chest breathe and back breathe.)

Dear Esther,

Over a few years of research on various topics - yoga, meditation, martial arts and breathing techniques and patterns in general - I have become 90% convinced that thoracic/chest breathing is a no-no and diaphragmatic/belly breathing is the way to go, as nature intended.

The arguments for belly breathing are rather convincing.  A number of sources performed similar research to yours in studying breathing patterns in babies and non-westernised societies and minorities.

Reading the information in your book has made my conviction in belly breathing closer to 50% now.

Could you kindly share your knowledge on this matter?  Having strong arguments for and against both breathing methods, and when to use each, makes it difficult to find synergy between them.

PS: thank you for writing your book.  The knowledge you shared in it is priceless and exactly what I was looking for!

1. The people I have seen who belly breathe exclusively tend to have poorly developed chests and flared lower ribs. They also seem to have low tone in the abs.
2. People who belly breathe exclusively feel suffocated when they strongly engage their inner corset (necessary to protect against damage to the spine in heavy exercise). Their intercostal muscles and back muscles are not used to expanding during respiration. This alone seems to me compelling proof that belly breathing as a default pattern is not a sound breathing pattern.
3. Chest breathing benefits the chest by expanding it over time (healthy stress on the bones influencing their shape.)
4. Back breathing benefits the spine by inducing good circulation in the tissues around the spine.
5. Bottom line - observation of people in traditional cultures shows chest breathing to be a natural default breathing pattern.

Dear Esther: I bought your book and have been employing your techniques. I've received immediate relief from my chronic shoulder pain when sitting and persistent shin splints when walking. Your comments on breathing rang true for me. I studied classical western music singing for decades and in the style, all we do is belly breathe and it became default for me. I have a weak sloped chest and forward pointing shoulders, flared lower ribs and despite being a normal body weight, people ask me if I'm pregnant b/c my abs are so "out there". I really feel suffocated when I engage the inner corset and in the past I had panic attacks in pilates classes b/c I couldn't catch my breath.

My breathing situation may be compounded by the fact that I have to wear heavy reinforced bras, which could be impeding my breathing (I get them fitted professionally and I pay a lot for them, so its not a size or manufacturing isssue, its just the laws of physics) I can breath confortably with my inner corset engaged as long as I keep my hands above my head, so I know there is hope for me. Do you have any suggestiona as to what I can do for breathing without walking around with my hands in the air?

Thanks for all you do

Susan

Here's a question for you Susan -- your description of being asked if you're pregnant makes me wonder if you have a swayed back. Is that the case? If so, working with the lower back -- and likely the pelvis -- will do wonders to free up the breath (by virtue of giving much more support from the foundation of the spine to the upper back and chest areas...)

I'll be interested to hear Esther's thoughts on why using the inner corset helps the breath. I often imagine the support of the inner corset muscles as locking the spine into healthy posture -- I wonder if that's what's happening for you. With regards to breathing well and not having your hands in the air, one can in the short-term learn to use the inner corset without the arms -- they are just a guide to find the action, and not necesarry...

Hi there,

Yes, you definitely don't have to leave your hands up in the air to keep your inner corset going. Like Nagle suggests, this is a technique used to find the right combo of muscles.

I'm confused about why the inner corset is helping you breathe - do you mean it is helping you breathe into your chest some? That's good and will only get better as your intercostal muscles stretch from breathing into your chest.

Good luck - it sounds like a lot is falling into place for you!

Thanks for the advice, yes but I have to put my hands in the air to breath when I engage the inner corset, otherwise I feel suffocated, probably because I  belly breathe. I don't notice that I have a sway, I've been told my back is overstraightened, I did notice I seem to be opening the front of my ribs to breath which was a great trick for singing but its obviously turned into a bad habit for general living
This weekend I was practicing engaging the inner corset and then slowly lowering my hands, the corset stayed in place but it cut off my breath.  However, each time I just stopped when my breath stopped and moved my hands up a bit and after a couple of days I've been able to feel my back moving a little to let in some air with my hands down. I feel as if I'm walking around with the posture of the Incredible Hulk, but I actually look normal.

Thanks

Susan

Just an update, I managed to get my arms down to a point while still breathing and engaging the corset so that I could hold the front of my ribs still and that seemed to let into my back...which made my ribcage rotate forward all on its own and let air into my chest.  If I concentrate I can do it now with my arms relaxed. yeah!!!