Hippie Chicks - 2- Cass - Make Your Own Kind of Music (Breath)
Hippie Chicks - 2 - Cass - Make Your Own Kind of Music
Lift Your Tips
Based on several breath-related Awareness Through Movement® Lessons by Moshe Feldenkrais
Gravity is a drag. We can all benefit from a little more lift, a little more freedom in the hips, arms, legs, neck.
Lift those shoulders, that sternum, that upper back from within - with your breath.
Lift that chest, let the pubic bone drop, for a powerful, grownup approach to life.
Slumping cuts off your deepest breath. The upper front ribs collapse together while the upper back ribs fan open to create that hump. The shoulder blades splay apart, pressing into the front ribs. The cervical spine, the neck, ends up rounding forward the the head weighted downward. Not pretty, not comfortable.
Even worse when sitting at a desk or checking your phone in any position.
A remedy: using your breath to lift the upper chest - front and back - and create lightness that allows the hips, legs, arms a little room. And with that extra give in the lower body, new whole body movement possibilities may open up.
Lying on your back or side, or seated on a chair, we will follow the same format as last week. Begin by breathing into the ‘middle’ ribs, then the lower, and, finally, finding that space at the top of the shoulders between the clavicles and shoulder blades.
The chest fills, the belly still releases down, and the sternum lifts the ribs. For me, it’s as if there is a flattening across the shoulders that stabilizes the whole torso. It’s all about being able to Carry it Like Audrey (a previous lesson I invite you to check out).
We will also recall how nasal breathing, as opposed to mouth breathing, helps keep the cervical spine long and the head held aloft.
Slumpasana - from yogasportscience.com
What that flat shoulder top looks like
Science Nerd Candy Bowl:
Ribcage Movement During Respiration : (O:45) Will Larson, just what it says
Mouth Breathing in Children from Dr. German Ramirez: (3:11)
TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre - scare you into breathing exclusively through your nose to purify incoming air and keep your facial structure attractive
Set Up:
Lie on a mat, either supine or side-lying, whichever you prefer
OR - sitting on a firm, comfortable chair, knees level with hips.
How You Might Feel After This Lesson: Open Ribs, Front, Back, Side to Side; Deep breath; Chest to Pelvic Floor connection; Taller and leaner; Balanced side to side and top to bottom; Active pelvic floor; Lifted chest for poised and comfortable sitting; All around alignment.