If you’ve ever been on my table you know that there are times when I ask for a big, deep breath with a slow, controlled release. Usually it’s when I need to get in deep somewhere and I want to use your breath to help us.
I like to use the breath for two reasons. The first being that it helps you relax and the second is that deep pressure (and/or stretching) usually goes further and is less stressful on the psyche with the exhale. I’m not sure that’s ever been scientifically proven, but my unofficial study of it in the massage room and my personal yoga practice has convinced me that it is true for those who truly embrace the exhale and its intent.
One side effect of asking the client to use their breath is that I also get to see how they are breathing. Cut to the recent client who was reverse breathing. I’d heard talk of this for years. I’d seen people do it casually, I do it on occasion when very stressed, but I’d never really seen it in action.
At the end of our session I asked for that big breath and watched as her shoulders and chest expanded hugely and her abdomen literally disappeared from my line of sight. I was so shocked I asked for another big breath and just watched what was happening to her body. Her rib cage and shoulders lifted towards her neck, her neck pressed down into the table and I could see the cords standing out on her neck. She looked as if she was rolling her upper back into extension with the deep breath and yet she still wasn’t filling her lungs. Probably because her belly was obstructing her diaphragm muscle from contracting.
That’s when it occurred to me that all this strain we’re carrying around in our shoulders and neck and upper back and perhaps even the rampant stomach issues could be related to this reverse breathing phenomenon. I’ve been unable to find any research that connects these things, but it seems another informal study is in the works in my massage room.
I spent a few extra minutes with this client talking about natural breathing patterns and guided her through a few deep, belly breaths. It was difficult for her and I sent her home with homework to do. I hope she’s doing it even though it is hard work.
I know what you’re thinking, “How hard can breathing be?” I remember the first time I was guided into belly breath. It was uncomfortable physically and mentally unsettling. If I let myself get overly stressed for a period of time and forget to breathe into my belly (which is a common stress reaction among humans), coming back to it is a struggle.
So how do you know if you’re reverse breathing? Put your hand on your belly and breathe in. Is your hand moving away from your spine or toward it? Correct belly breathing expands the belly so your hand should move away from your spine. And how do you stop reverse breathing? Practice, practice, practice… Here is an article I wrote on Simple and Free Stress Relief. The last few paragraphs describe what you need to know to start practicing belly breathing.
Let me know what you find if you try this.
Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy and Ashi-Thai and Bamboo-Fusion Massage