How do you breathe? Check out this great article on breath, breathing, and become resilient....

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 17:59:34 -0700

Help! I Breathe Wrong!

by Erin Ferguson, M.A., GCFP

Many people come to me seeking the right way to breathe. I often hear, "I breathe wrong," or, "my breathing is shallow, my ribs don't move, my abdomen doesn't move, I need to do belly breathing, I tense my neck, I hold my breath, I'm anxious," etc. You might, then, expect Feldenkrais® breathing lessons to offer an answer. You might expect to get tools to correct yourself when you notice you are breathing incorrectly.

The problem with this solution is that human beings are dynamic creatures. We are never in the same situation twice, either internally or externally. If we were to breathe in the same way all the time, it would be like we had a repetitive script for every conversation. Moshe Feldenkrais comments that you cannot find a list of correct words for every situation, just like you cannot find a correct way of breathing for every situation.

What, then, is there to be done about the "correct" breathing conundrum? The most important thing is to create options and move out of habitual ruts. Just like in speaking, when you have a choice among thousands of words, you have a greater range of options with which to express yourself.

What does it mean in practice?

As you can imagine, Feldenkrais® breathing lessons invite you to throw "good" and "bad" breathing out the window. They encourage you to see your breathing as dynamic and responsive. Think about it: Swerving from a car requires a different kind of breathing from grocery shopping, which requires a different kind of breathing from delivering a presentation.

Try this: Check your belly

Imagine screaming for a moment. Would your abdomen contract or expand as you emitted a loud sound? Imagine a lion roaring or a cow mooing. Make a mooing sound right now. Feel what happens to your abdomen. Put your hand on it and feel. Does it go in or out? Now put your hand on your belly and cough. What does the belly do? Does it go in or out? Now laugh. What does it do? Go in or out?

This illustrates the point that the belly moves independently of the breath. I'm going to repeat that: the belly moves independently of the breath. When we insist on engaging the belly muscles to breathe, there is a loss of spontaneous response in the abdomen (and the diaphragm subsequently weakens from inefficient use). How can you adequately respond to the world if your belly muscles are all tied up with breathing?

Get out of your own way

Breathing in the Feldenkrais Method® is about letting the diaphragm and other muscles in the torso do their job. As we've just seen, on the exhale the abdomen goes in or out depending on the activity. With a large sound or intense exertion like exercise, the belly goes out. In quiet breathing, the belly goes in. Both are equally necessary for full human functioning.

Living at a high functional level means that you (or rather your impulse to control a natural, autonomic function) need to get out of the way and let the belly do what it does best, which it can only do if the muscle tone is relaxed to start with. Shortened, contracted abdominal muscles are lethal to a well-functioning nervous system.

It is helpful to stop thinking of breathing as something you do to yourself. I often observe people distancing themselves from the act of breathing, making it something "out there" that requires some technique that you impose on "that breathing thing, out there." Try not to separate your self out from the biological act of breathing. Consider that you are simply alive, living, doing an activity, and also breathing. Whether it's swimming, running, picking up your child, or sitting at a computer, let yourself be breathed.

(Using breathing systems, as in yoga, Pilates, or stress-reduction techniques, to accomplish a specific goal is not a problem as long as you retain the option of breathing in many ways in response to life. Digestion problems, severe movement limitation, back pain, and emotional imbalance are just some of the results of trying (because it's impossible anyway) to adopt--as your only option--breathing that is intended for a specific goal.)

* * *  A short breathing experiment: Soft belly  1. Test: Exhale and count  First, exhale and quickly count out loud to ten by slurring your words. onetwothreefourfivesixseveneightnineten. Vocalize the words, yet slur them. Count one to ten over and over. How many cycles of one to ten do you do in a single exhale?   2. Push out belly and hold  Lying down with your knees bent, put your hand on your lower belly between the belly button and the pubic bone. Breathe out completely and push the abdomen out in all directions, down toward the pelvic floor, sideways filling the pelvis, and forward and back to the belly and the low back. With the abdomen pushed out, hold the breath.   Do this a number of times. When you feel the impulse to breathe in, let it happen on it's own. Be observant: do you intentionally inhale and lift the chest? Are you "trying" to bring in air? Are you doing something to make yourself inhale? Don't try to fix it, just look at what you are doing.   3. Push out belly and hold, then push it out again and count to three  Pause a moment, then come back to the hand on the belly and breathe out as far as you can pushing the abdomen in all directions and hold it out. Then, breathe out a little more and hold that out and count to three. Only then do you breathe in. Can you feel the air rushing in? Breathing in will happen as a natural act of survival. When there is a need for oxygen, the organism will self-organize and take care of itself. You do not have to do anything but get out of the way.   Do this many, many times.   4. Push out belly and hold, then push it out again and count to three, then cough!  Do the same thing of expanding the abdomen on the exhale, but add a third pushing out of the belly after you count to three, which is a final push of air out of the lungs accompanied by a cough.   Do this many times. Feel the air rushing in. Can you feel the need to breathe in without doing anything?   5. Test again.   Return to counting to ten on the exhale while slurring your words, onetwothreefourfivesixseveneightnineten over and over. How many cycles of one to ten do you do now? Get up and walk around. Feel your breath. Feel your belly.   This article is copyright © 2010 by Erin Ferguson. All rights reserved. You may reproduce and distribute it freely, so long as you do not charge for it and this notice and my contact information are retained intact with the article. Erin Ferguson, MA, GCFP, www.boulderfeldenkrais.com.

Worth watching.....the essence of learning to move!

Mon, 4 Oct 2010 21:37:56 -0700

Hello Readers,
I couldn’t resist sharing this beautiful baby and her movement sequences as she finds out what she can do!
Enjoy,
Cynthia

Health Tips for Travelers

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:23:22 -0700

Dear Reader,
I hope your summer is going well. I’ve just gotten back from an amazing 3 week trip out of the country. I learned a few things while traveling that I thought I’d share with you. Here is my article:
Staying healthy while traveling, especially in foreign countries, can be challenging. It can also be worrisome if you have existing health conditions that require your daily attention. Here are some tips that might put your mind at ease and save you extraordinary hassles while on the road. Wouldn't you rather be sightseeing than trying to find the local medical equipment supplier?

• Take a copy of your medical records with you.
This is not a bad as it sounds. Ask your healthcare provider provide you with an official copy (on letterhead) of your current health issues and the medications you currently take, and any other information that might be useful in a medical emergency, i.e. drug allergies. Load this document onto a flash drive and you have a simple, portable record that any PC can read. Of course if you are traveling in areas that might not have a computer available, take paper copies to keep with your passport. Find out in advance if your doctor is available by email while you are traveling, or better yet, by Skype. It can be invaluable to be able to discuss your situation with a medical professional who knows you.

• Take extra medications with you.
If your suitcase gets lost or vandalized, or if you get stuck somewhere longer than expected (think volcanic eruptions!), you will have enough to get you through. An additional weeks worth is a good amount to plan on.

• Taking your medical equipment with you?
Check out your equipment a week before you travel. Is anything looking weak or frayed? Get it repaired. Any parts that might break while traveling? Take an extra set with you. Traveling with a CPAP or insulin pump? Make sure you contact the manufacturer or distributor BEFORE you travel to find out how to get a replacement while traveling. This might be easier said than done, but at least you'll know ahead of time how hard it might be to get what you need.

• Find a local resource, preferably a Certified Tour Guide.
Tour guides are a great resource while traveling. They are local and speak the native language and probably yours as well. They are used to setting up tours and even travel arrangements for groups of people coming from far away places. They know dependable sources for medical care, car and driver services, an all night pharmacy, etc. Worst case, at least they can get you to a consulate quickly. And speaking of consulates, they are another resource for finding good medical care in a foreign country.

• Find out how the medical system works in the country you are visiting.
This can be very worthwhile research before you go. Find the name(s) of a doctor or clinic that serves traveling diplomats/international patients. This will help you avoid an Emergency Room visit for an urgent but non-critical medical issue. Doctors who work with international patients often have been trained in the U.S. and speak English fluently.
Make sure if you do need medical care, that you document the visit, get the doctor to give you a copy of his or her chart notes, and get a receipt for payment of services rendered. This will come in handy when you try to get reimbursed when you get home.
Don't worry if the bill and chart notes are not in English. They are still considered part of your record and can be translated when you get home.
If you can, let your doctor back home know via email, what is happening so that he/she can make a note in your chart. This will help when it comes time for getting reimbursed.
If you have a camera (even on your phone), take pictures of your medical issue for documentation purposes. It takes two minutes but can save you money in the long run if your insurance providers balk at paying for your out-of-country medical expenses.

• Inform your travel companions.
Nothing is worse than getting to your vacation spot and then getting sick.
Make sure your travel companions are ready, willing, and able to support you through a medical issue. Communicate ahead of time your wishes regarding medical help. This will make the burden lighter and everyone will have a much better time. And, you'll get back to the fun part faster!
Happy travels,
Cynthia

This reader just offered this item for Cynthia’s List:

Thu, 13 May 2010 19:33:43 -0700

Dear Readers,
Well that was fast...a reader just offered this product for my list so I will include it here:
For the best office chairs designed for your body,not someone else’s “idea” of your body, contact:
BodyBilt
Peggy Haley-Ross, Senior Ergonomic Marketing Consultant
ErgoGenesis, LLC
936-870-2699 (Direct) 800-364-5299 ext 299
pross@ergo4me.com
www.ergo4me.com

So what’s new ?

Thu, 13 May 2010 16:54:35 -0700

Dear Reader,
Hello and welcome to my mini-blog!
From time to time I will be adding things here you might find interesting, useful, and at least somewhat practical. I value practicality and often find myself telling my clients about products or services or websites which will help them in some way. With that in mind ,I just posted my first “Cynthia’s List” on my Facebook page.
Then a friend said, “Oh but I hate those sites where you have to sign in, etc., why don’t you do a blog...so... here it is.
Cynthia’s List
For great quality back support cushions: The-Aston-Line
One of the best beds made: European Sleepworks in Berkeley
For hard to fit feet by an expert Pedorthist: Marj Bonsal of Foot Solutions in San Jose
For herbs and supplements:
Avoid taking the advice of the clerks working in the supplements aisle of your local market..you will waste money and possibly your health. Seek out a qualified, licensed ND, MD, or L.Ac. for accurate advice and quality products. Remember that herbs and supplements are also medicine.
Keep in mind that while supplements sold by these providers may cost a little more, they have been carefully scrutinized for quality, ie. no fillers which make the product less expensive and less effective.
For those white styrofoam exercise rollers in various diameters: shop online or ask any Physical Therapy office...most stock them.
Inflatable back cushion for airline travel: Varilite Inflatable Back Cushion
Confused about your diagnosis, need help understanding your options, want to avoid starting up with another doctor just to get a few questions answered? Try a one hour consultation/second opinion.
A complete conversation with a qualified provider can give you the overview you might need to better understand your difficulty.
My favorite unscented skincare line: Dermalogica
Excellent quality essential oils: Simplers, Floracopeia
Excellent base oil for moisturizing: pure Jojoba oil: the oil molecules are much smaller than other oils thus making it easier to absorb, keep in refrigerator to maintain freshness.
Well, that’s it for now.
Happy Spring,
Cynthia