The Key to Unrestricted Breath

Unrestricted breathing is essential for a healthy spine, emotional wellbeing, optimal performance, and much more. Structural integration aims to unlock a complete and deep breath by stacking the Diaphragms, i.e. pelvic floor and abdominal diaphragm, and re-draping the shoulder girdle over the ribcage.

Unfortunately in this modern era, mastery of breathing has taken a back seat. People of the modern age are burdened by, but not limited to, chronic anxiety, past physical or emotional trauma, and/or molding their body around objects, i.e. phones, chairs, and computers. The culmination of opportunities for restricted breathing patterns are numerous and are passed on from generation to generation. The subsequent physical effect leads to the pelvic and abdominal diaphragms not facing each other, causing a lack of proper coordination in breath that leads to over and under use of musculature, and a restriction of a full inhale and exhale (Key 2013).

Common Patterns for Breath Restriction

1. Anterior Tilted Pelvis: The orientation of an anterior tilted pelvis projects the abdominal contents forward and reduces the breaths ability to expand evenly into the abdomen and pelvic floor.

   
   

2. Posterior Tilted Ribcage: Flared Ribs. The diaphragm's direction will not allow for effective expansion of down and out, rather straight into the abdominal wall.

   
   

3. Extension in Spine: An excessive lordotic curve, and/or flat thoracic curve limits expansion of breath into the back of the body.

   
   

Where the pelvic and abdominal diaphragms face, incorporate all planes of movement and potential orientations relative to each other, i.e. left and right tilts, shifts, and rotations. There are a multitude of possibilities for imbalance between the two diaphragms, which carves a route for many unique restrictions on breath.

Diaphragms Not Stacked

The Shoulder Girdle's Effect on Breath

After the diaphragms have found a new balance, the next step for unrestricted breathing is to settle the shoulder girdle over the ribcage. The shoulder girdle commonly and ineffectively finds stability by anchoring onto the wrong structures.

1. Hung on the Neck: The shoulders will not move much or at all while breathing. The weight of the shoulders hanging on the neck reduces the breaths ability to expand at the top of the ribs. It can also lead to excessive tension build up around the neck and head, increasing the potential for tension headaches.

   
   

2. Stuck to the Ribcage: The shoulders will move straight up and down while breathing. Having the shoulders strapped down to the ribcage dramatically reduces the ability for the breath to expand into the sides of the body, especially under the armpits.

The end goal is to have the shoulders free from the neck and the ribcage, essentially floating on the ribcage and not hindering breath. A free shoulder girdle will glide smoothly along the ribs, i.e. up and out during and inhale, and down and in during the exhale.

Anatomy Trains Structural Integration provides a myofascial map of the body, done within a series of sessions to address, not only restricted breathing, but coordination of the body's systems as a whole.

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Reference List:

Key, J. (2013). ‘The core’: Understanding it, and retraining its dysfunction. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapy, 17(4), 541-559. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2013.03.012