27/09/2018
Change your breath change your life ❤️
❇️Why do you always start athlete mobility sessions by working on breathing?
❇️Why does your back pain book focus so much on breathing?
These are two questions that come up frequently regarding my work and back pain book. The best answer to both:
Because breathing influences ALL aspects of health—including (and especially) MOVEMENT!💯
How? Look at this image from my book, “Practical Solutions for Back Pain Relief,” showing the diaphragm’s relationship to the psoas, QL, ribcage and lumbar spine. And look at the ribcage’s relationship to the thoracic spine, and its alignment with the pelvis.
In my book, all exercise sections start with work on breathing mechanics. On a previous post, someone asked why I don’t focus 1st on exercises for spine position.
Here’s why:
While addressing breathing, you’re also addressing the spine—and posture & movement as a whole. There’s no way around it. Diaphragm function & ribcage position/movement are dependent on one another, and their position and function impacts your spine, pelvis and shoulder girdle.
The spine cannot move unless acted upon through muscular action. The movement pattern of breathing takes place up to 24,000xs a day, and, as a fundamental movement pattern, directly influences the muscles that act on the spine. If dysfunctional breathing is contributing to back pain, no amount of work on the spine alone will correct it. 12 vertebrae—the most mobile of the spine are attached to the ribcage. The ribcage takes up almost 50% of the axial skeleton. The scapulas’ position & function (and, largely, function of entire shoulder girdle) are significantly influenced by ribcage position. The diaphragm’s ability to fully contract & relax depends on the ability of our lower ribs to internally & externally rotate. The diaphragm attaches to the lumbar spine, running though the psoas at its attachments. So a dysfunctional diaphragm can lead to both tension and positional changes in the low back and hip flexors.
There’s more…but this is just an Instagram post, so you get the idea.
For more, look for an updated version of my 30-day Breathe Better to Move Better program to launch on my MobilityMaker.com site in November.✅👍
