Breathing

Submitted by oceangirl08006 on January 24, 2013 - 9:28pm
Body: 

Hi everyone, it feels nice to have a support system like the forums! I have been having some issues with getting used to the breathing part of WW posture. I have only been really trying it steadfastly for a couple of weeks, and I realize it takes time to reverse a couple decades of bad posture and retrain my body. However, I understand that the breathing should be more so in the diphragm. This has proved to be very difficult for me, which makes me feel silly because I have been a vocalist for a long time and have known about breathing through your diaphragm for a long time. IT HAS NEVER FELT COMFORTABLE! I feel like I can't breath, lifting the chest and thinking 'tall' seems to make it harder to get a deep breath in. Am I just doing it wrong, or, as I suspect, is my body just in the process of learning to do something the right way? Do you breath a little with your chest also? All I know is I actually get a little light headed sometimes when I try to breath with my diaphram. Sometimes its just good to hear that other people had this feeling for a while also :) Thanks, and good wishes to everyone!
BTW- I have one theory; I've had mild asthma since I was a teeny bopper, and the feeling of being able to deeply breath through my lungs makes me feel safe.

Forum:

MsNightingale

January 24, 2013 - 10:26pm

I can very much relate to what you are saying. This was also a challenge for me. I do not know if it is similar for you but what I have discovered is that I was working so hard at being tall and uplifted and breathing deep into the belly, that I wasn't really feeling it....I was just working it. I don't know if I can express this well. But, when we are pulled up in WW posture, our tummy is long and the muscles are long and strong. The air will come into the relaxed belly, but because we are tall, we will feel it almost pushing the belly out ---there is some resistance. If you can relax with that resistance it should help. Have you tried the belly breathing when going to bed? I always check in with it last thing at night and first thing in the morning because when we are lying down, it is so easy and relaxed to feel it and be comfortable with it. Also, we arent posture working at that time so all of our attention can go to the breath. The asthma could be some of what you are feeling too. For me, the breathing really became comfortable when I relaxed regarding this whole pop situation. When I felt that my posture was indeed coming along then both the relaxing of the tummy muscles and the breathing could happen during the uplifted new posture. I have a feeling that this breathing will become especially valuable to you since you are a vocalist. Many good things will come from this I think. Best wishes to you!

fab

January 24, 2013 - 11:17pm

The key to diaphragm breathing is relaxation. Especially relaxation of the lower tummy which comes about naturally, the more you practice WWposture, or maybe you could try laughing about something first and then give it a dedicated try.

When we say lift the chest, we could be taken to mean straighten up. It is straightening of the spine and allowing the back muscles to be self-supporting, not pushing the belly out to collapse in the middle of the back, or collapsing our diaphragm over our waist to round our back which we often assume when tired and relaxing .

When adopting WWposture your gauge or feedback mechanism is the lumber curve. It’s like there is a sweet spot of straightness of upper back relative to the correct degree of full lumbar curve. It does mean in my case a softness of belly swell from above the pelvis, curving up to under the breast. It also means the breathing becomes easier.

With diaphragm breathing, you breathe from the lower belly. Just feel as you breathe in through your nose, the muscles in your lower belly coming out, raising the diaphragm and filling the lungs. If you can’t feel it because you are concentrating too hard on what you are doing, try folding your arms, then you should feel it. Or, if you are a shallow breather it may be too gentle to feel initially. Just strengthen the breath gradually and you'll get there.

As you breathe in, the lower belly relaxes out. This allows your diaphragm to drop gently and your lungs to fill with air while maintaining your lumbar curve.

When you breath out this raises your diaphragm gently and your gut automatically comes inwards.

Above all, you do not raise your shoulders or expand your chest.

If all else fails it is alright to kick start the action with an exaggerated swelling out of the belly on the in breath.

I understand that diaphragm breathing helps the singer to not push the voice and helps obtain balanced tone, at least in theory.

Cheers, Fab

Surviving60

January 25, 2013 - 7:30am

Oceangirl, I would suggest that you really study and master firebreathing. This exercise (and all of Christine's many moves that emphasize the breathing sequence) really can't be done any other way than breathing with the belly. Work on that, and on staying in posture all the time. Once you have truly learned to keep the belly relaxed, the breathing will be natural. - Surviving

MsNightingale

January 25, 2013 - 7:37am

I love this post. Beautiful description of beautiful breath.

oceangirl08006

January 25, 2013 - 3:39pm

Thank you everyone, I appreciate your comments. I think I am thinking too hard about it, I am a shallow breather, and it is easier to do it lying down. The posture is becoming easier, and I can feel the breathing becoming slowly easier as well. Thanks again, you've given me hope!

I'll just add that I think one thing I was doing wrong was that I wasn't breathing out all the way. When I inhale my lower stomach is relaxed but I have to pull it in slightly to exhale. Thinking about firebreathing (thanks for the tip!) helped me figure this out. I think it mentions the lower abdominal muscles being exercised ever so slightly when breathing out in Christine's book. Correct me if I a wrong, please ;)