CORE RESTORE METHOD | Lesson 3 | Breath, Pressure, Stability + Hip Mobility

Published: Fri, 06/08/18

Hey

So far, we've talked (mostly I talked!) about several factors contributing to our stability. None of them is as important as our breath.

Watch the video to get the visual of full - body breath movement:

3 important heads up for this video:

1. 'tis in French, but the visuals are excellent, so don't be worried about the language barrier.

2. We do not need to full - body breathe all of the time, but we do need to have an ability to recruit our breathing system to respond to the demands of the situation. If your breathing is stuck in one mode all of the time, both the nervous and the muscular systems re-pattern themselves and limit your ability to breathe fully.

3. Back ribs do not seem to move in this video, yet in really full body breathing, back ribs also do expand.

Roger Fiammetti respiration totale animation

Here is some more intel:

Healthy breathing creates a vital structural support for your back (especially lumbar spine) as well as your shoulders.
Healthy breathing relaxes tight neck muscles, can prevent reoccurring headaches and migraines, as well as assist a better thyroid function.
Healthy breathing can release mid-back tension.
Healthy breathing massages (no joke!) your heart, lungs, as well as your digestive organs, assisting better digestion and elimination.
Healthy breathing patterns are absolutely necessary in the prevention + treatment of pelvic floor disorders.

So why breathing optimally is so important for stability?

One word: pressure.

The intra-abdominal pressure is what stabilizes our spine when we stand, walk, and move about.

Whenever the ribs shift out of neutral position - for example, move forward and lift in front, they also drop in the back, which, in turn, pinches the back of our "abdominal balloon." That places the content of abdominal balloon under more pressure, and, like most things under great pressure (you know this first hand!), it tries to escape.

This escaping pressure moves either up (potentially creating hiatal hernia and increasing pressure on abdominal aorta), downward ( leading to pelvic floor disorders), or forward to destabilize our structure even further.

It is right next to impossible to utilize the muscles of the abdomen correctly if your alignment or breathing (now you know how the two are connected!) are sub-optimal.

What about breathing and hip mobility then?

"Legs" of the diaphragm {diaphragm is a parachute - like muscle attached to the bottom ribs - you can see on the picture below) connect the diaphragm to the spine, and also to the hip flexor group.

Tension in the breath (and especially sucking the belly in) affect our hip mobility because of this intrinsic connection.

Furthermore, because this "crossover" is so very central in the body, it has the potential to influence a lot of things above (heart, lungs, shoulders, neck) and below the deck (digestion, elimination, hips, knees) through the infrastructure of the connective tissue.

Folk, I don't say this lightly - having suffered the effects of this "crossover syndrome," - my guinea pig of a body have confirmed that adhesion (which is what I had) in this area can create shoulder pain, heart palpitations, hip tension, knee and even foot pain.

Tracing the chains of connective tissue have helped me to solve "my left side sucks" mystery and move forward with my life. I wish the same for you - this is why I share this!

Try this breath awareness practice to become aware of your breathing patterns and also dismantle some of the tightness within the breath:

This is best attempted on the weekend, when you aren't feeling rushed and are less likely to get interrupted.

Close your eyes. Take a moment to scan your entire body.

Then begin to focus your attention on your abdomen. Notice how your abdomen moves as you breathe in and out.

Feel the swelling and settling sensations on the inhalations and the exhalation.

Do you sense any tightness or constriction in your belly?

Do you tend to pull the abdomen inwards or upwards?

If you are not sure whether you are holding tension in the belly, tense abdomen for 7 seconds by pulling the muscles inward and then release.

Notice that abdomen billows outward in all directions – up, back and to the sides on the inhalation. On the exhalation it retracts – gains the tone and firmness without being rigid or hard.

You might begin to notice a subtle rocking motion occurring in your pelvis on with the waves of your breath. If you can’t feel it now, bend your knees , placing your feet on the mat, and feel again.

Now bring your attention to the floor of your pelvis – the space from the pubic bone to the tail bone, and between 2 sit bones.

Check around the base of the buttocks for any unnecessary holding. Again, if you are not sure you are holding tension in these areas, contract them for 7 seconds and then release.

Notice how pelvic floor moves when you breathe in and out. Can you feel any opening, broadening movement on the inhalation?

Feel the relationship of your pelvic floor and free movement of your abdomen.

Tension in the breath and anywhere in the region you just explored will prevent you from moving freely through your hip joints, and also from stabilizing correctly thought back, pelvis and muscles of the abdomen.

{ , I am well aware that audio instructions would make trying this and other exercises soooooo much easier. We are working on finding a platform that could host audio + video material in addition to written lessons. Work in progress!}

Once you had an opportunity to explore your breathing patterns (and potentially identify tension areas), try out the leg swing:

Put a couple of chip foam yoga blocks (or books that you don't love anymore) in a doorway, and then stand with one foot on that platform, with the other leg swinging freely from its suspender.

Keep your hips level, and let your hanging leg relax into a gentle swing that requires little or no effort.

Imagine a suspender attached just behind your respiratory diaphragm, and your hanging leg suspended from there, swinging freely through your pelvis.

Explore this movement for several moments, maintaining relaxed upper body and even breath.

Now hold your breath - and even suck your belly in! How does that change your hip mobility?

Relax your breath, step down from your platform, and compare the feeling in your legs and hips while standing and walking.

Repeat on the other side (just so you don’t walk in circles for the rest of your day.)

Enjoy - yup, I full-heartedly mean it – new-found hip freedom.

See you next week and on the mat!

See you on the mat!

Julia + SATORI YOGA TEAM