The Movement of Breathing Once our bodies are balanced and aligned, we can create an efficient container which will allow air to fall effortlessly into the body through inhalation, and produce an exhalation process that is free of tension, engaged and dynamically supported, full of energy and vigor.

Remapping the trachea There are two pipes in your neck the trachea and the esophagus

The trachea, also known as the windpipe, is in front. It lies just under the skin in the front of our lower necks, and is merely a passageway for air on inhalation.

A breath will be quiet if properly allowed to be taken in through the trachea

The larynx sits right on top of the trachea, and houses the vocal cords

The esophagus, also known as the food tube, is behind the trachea. It is responsible for swallowing food or drink

A swallowed breath will sound noisy and raspy

The pharynx is in the upper part of our neck (think adams apple), and is part of the digestive system

The Four Moving Parts to Breathing

Ribs, back view

Ribs

Ribs move at joints in back along spine, and move at cartilage in front

Each rib swings up and out during inhalation, and down and in during exhalation (excursion)

You can control the amount of rib movement

Rib movement is NOT: o Heaving chest up

and down o Pulling shoulders

up and down breathe into your back

along your spine

Diaphragm NEVER SAY/THINK THE TERM USE MY DIAPRAGHM. IT IS AN INVOLUNTARY MUSCLE, AND IS AS SILLY AS SAYING USE YOUR HEART OR USE YOUR LUNGS (using your brain is OK) The diaphragm, like the ribs, has its own

movement of excursion o On inhalation, it goes from a

highly domed position to a less domed position (pointy, then it flattens

o On exhalation, it returns to its highly domed position

There are no sensory receptors in the diaphragm; therefore, you can only feel that it is working by the movement of abdominal walls and the pelvic floor

o The downward movement of the diaphragm moves your abdominal and pelvic viscera (organs, gut, entrails, innards) downward and outward

REMEMBER NOT TO USE YOUR DIAPHRAGM SIMPLY LEAVE IT ALONE AND LET IT DO ITS JOB!!!

Abdominal Walls

The abdominal wall is a layered cylinder

of muscle surrounding our viscera, front, sides, and back

The pressure put on the abdominal wall by the viscera being moved outward and downward as a result of the descending diaphragm is equal in all directions

o breathing into your back o breathing into your sides

The Pelvis and the Pelvic Floor The breathing movement process creates a sensation of pressure against the pelvic bones

on inhalation, and the engagement of deep interior pelvic structures on exhalation The pelvic area consists of muscles that are interior and exterior to the pelvis During inhalation, you should feel a sensation of release and dropping throughout the

exterior muscles (your glutes, or gluteus maximus) o The pelvic floor, like the diaphragm, drops during inhalation

You should feel a downward and outward release through the pelvic floor The interior muscles are continuous with the base of the diaphragm

o They are powerfully felt in tension-free singing (exhalation) Toned, engagement, dynamic support, energy, vigor, fire, aliveness

o The pelvic floor, like the diaphragm, naturally rises during exhalation Inside your pelvis, you should feel an upward flow of support as the

diaphragm ascends on exhalation

YOU SHOULD NOT FEEL THESE MUSCLES WORKING!!! LIKE THE DIAPHRAGM, THESE ARE NATURAL MOVEMENTS!

BONUS PART!!! The Spine

All singing structures lie along the entire length of our weight-bearing spine

o Larynx, back half of each lung, diaphragm, inner pelvic muscles The spinal movement is a crucial part of the movement of breathing

o The spine gathers on inhalation, and lengthens on exhalation The lengthening and gathering of the spine in breathing is involuntary; therefore, just

leave it alone and let it be! o Forcing your body to stand up straight, or slouching, creates tension which

prevents the natural processes of breathing from occurring

Up and Over During exhalation, as the spine lengthens, there is a slight movement of the head away from

the spine at the A/O joint. o The term Up and Over was coined from Alexander technique, forward and up

Up and Over can be seen and felt, if you allow it to happen naturally without tension!!! o A sense of buoyancy, created by a sense of space in the joint (A/O Joint) o a little balloon between my skull and my spine o a sort of nodding toward the stars o a making room for the breath

Eight-Handed Breathing Technique

Important Verbal Cues for Breathing

o Breathing moves from the top down, not like a glass filling o Breathing moves into the body in a wavelike motion, from

top to bottom

o Breathe through your front tube, not the back tube o Breathe without using your swallowing muscles o You breathe at breathing joints, located in your back o Experience the whole cylinder of your abdominal wall o LEAVE YOUR DIAPHRAGM ALONE!!!

o When you take in air, your spine gathers, like a cat preparing to pounce

o When you are using air to sing, your spine lengthens, like a cat pouncing

o As you sustain a phrase, is your spine lengthening