Well, that’s a tricky question! Some say: Healthy breathing is breathing in a certain way, diaphragmatically, for example (a Biomechanical approach). Others say: It’s all about the oxygen/CO2 exchange (a Biochemical approach) or that it’s about the rate and rhythm of your breathing related to heart rate and other stress factors (Frequency).
For Feldies, it’s all of the above, except we’d never say that there’s a certain way to breathe, biomechanically, that is the right or best way. Instead we bring our awareness to the process itself and expand, through gentle movement experiments, access to the various breathing patterns that can be added to one’s life repertoire so that no matter what the situation – sitting, running, thinking, making love, speaking – our breathing system can optimally and comfortably adapt to the demands of the moment.
In the upcoming Feldenkrais® Summit 2021 – May 1 through May 10 – there will be a whole day of interviews, discussions and lessons on this topic called : ORIGINAL BREATH. And, yours truly will be a part of it!
Here’s the line-up:
You join the Summit for FREE using this link
When you join you’ll have access to some other goodies:
- The discussion between Richard, Cynthia and myself to round out the day of talks on ORIGINAL BREATH. (May 2nd at 6pm NYC time)
- A FREE giveaway from me (accessed through a link just under the video of our panel discussion) of 2 recorded classes of mine on the topic of breathing.
- If you upgrade to the Unlimited Digital Access option, one of the things that comes with that is access to my 4-Class Series: MOULDING THE MOUTH – which explores oral posture and breathing the Feldenkrais® way… with many original lessons designed to update your understanding and use of your mouth, tongue, skull and breath for better voicing, health and LIFE!
The summit is almost upon us, so act fast!
If this topic interests you in general, I have many classes and lessons in THE SINGING SELF PROGRAM that explore the “ins and outs” of breathing, the simplicity of it/the complexity of it related to voice, posture, performance and more!
I enjoyed the discussion panel (as I have enjoyed other presentations of yours), but as I started watching the replay in the early hours I will need to revisit …… 😉😉😉.
As a Feldie I agree with what you say about developing the options of breathing in different ways, but I would modify that a little in that I believe there probably IS a ‘best way’ to breathe in different situations. So we can have lots of options for lots of varied activities, but they still need to ‘match’ for optimal performance, otherwise we’re just a mish-mash. I’m going to add that I still have lots to learn!
Hi Jan! Glad you enjoyed! I also agree with you and would add a bit more… Yes, we are looking for a match that is optimal given a particular situation (sound, movement, function, action, etc.) – I call it “Finding a Fit.” However, it is possible, once a good fit is established, that from there there can also be many variations within that “fit/best way” solution so that there can, in essence, be many best ways. It seems paradoxical, but it stands to reason that it’s possible and I have experienced this time and again in the Feldenkrais® Method. This allows for even greater freedom, spontanaity, variety and comfort. So, I guess one could say that there is “one good way” given in a particular situation, AND that that “one good way” contains within it, a field variations and sub-varations that can support, expand and enrich the match. As Feldenkrais said (paraphrasing), it’s better to have many ways to do the same thing. I could see how this could seem like a mish-mash, but that’s not what I mean at all. Perhaps it’s a well-organized, functional and highly intelligent “mish-mash?” or “Advanced Mish-mashing!” I like that.
Thanks for the discussion! Bests, Robert