Breathing 101 - What you focus on EXPANDS

If you’ve known me for any length of time, you are familiar with my fascination with the breath.

I would imagine that if I owned a wild stallion, the feelings would be similar - the desire to ride it, to learn from it’s power, the reluctance to control it or rein it in, and a massive amount of respect for the life force contained within this wild and beautiful being.

As one life supporting action that happens whether we focus on it or not, but can be changed by our focus, it is unique in it’s relationship with our minds, as a link between the conscious and unconscious systems in our body. Like circulation and digestion,respiration happens from the moment you are born until the moment you die, whether you are aware of it or not. But unlike the the first two systems, you are able to not only be aware of respiration, but also control it. The pace, the volume, and it’s direction. This creates an incredible link between the controlled and uncontrolled systems in the body, and without going too far in to the anatomical details of this, I’d like to pitch my theory to you:

By focusing on where you are breathing, and how it feels, you will become more aware of the muscles that help you to breathe, and how you can support them for better execution of this particular job.

What you focus on expands, and changes. ( basic meditation hack) When you focus on your breath, you become more aware of the parts of your body that are affected by it, which can lead to greater awareness, control, and ease in those particular areas.

Because we have a much larger capacity for both inhalation and exhalation than we actually use ( our survival needs are different than our potential oxygen exchange ), when we extend the duration/volume of our breath, our bodies are both stretched and engaged from the inside.

So as opposed to dictating a “body warmup” from the brain, this gentle warmup uses breath, gravity, and some simple body positions to open up those creaky spaces inside of you that may not have been wanting to join the workout party.

Try this in the morning before you start your day, or in the evening before you go to bed.

The link between the known and unknown within us is one that has been danced with in every mind/body modality out there. Take this as a nod to the " Universal YES” on breath and dive on in.

If you’d like more anatomical details about breathing, check out this blog, or ask the all knowing google about breathing. There is so much great research out there and I encourage you to educate yourself as much as is helpful.