Breathing Processes for Increasing Lung Function and
Wellness
Adapted from the work of Moshe Feldenkrais, Donald Epstein and
ConFest Workshops
Written April 2015.
The following
experiences may be varied by doing them:
a) Lying on ones back
b) While seated
c) While standing
Process One
The left lung has two lobes. The heart takes
up space on the left side, Hold your awareness on the outer lobe on the left
side and breathe in through your nose. Feel this lobe expand against the left
rib in the front. Do this a few times. Now place the left fingers on left front
ribs and add this awareness to your breathing. Now move your fingers down and
around to feel the left ribs around the back. Have the thumb on the front ribs.
Feel the front and back ribs expand apart as you breathe into the left lobe on
the left side of your lungs. Now transfer awareness to the other lobe in the
left lung and breathe into that lobe. Place your palm over the front just to
the left of your midline and continue breathing into this lobe. Now breathe into
both of the lobes on the left side.
Now transfer your awareness to your right lung.
This lung has three lobes. Hold your awareness on the outer lobe on the right
side and breathe in through your nose. Feel this lobe expand against the right
ribs in the front. Do this a few times. Now place your right fingers on your right
front ribs and add this awareness to the breathing. Now move your fingers down
and around to feel your right ribs around the back. Have the thumb on the front
ribs. Feel the front and back ribs expand as you breathe into the right lobe on
the right side of your lungs. Now transfer awareness to the left lobe in the
right lung and breathe into that lobe. Place your palm over the front just to
the right of your midline and continue breathing into this lobe. Now breathe
into the middle lobe in the right lung and feel that expanding and do that a
few times now. Now with awareness,
simultaneously breathe into all three lobes of the right lung.
Now shift your
awareness to embrace both of your lungs, and with awareness of this awareness,
breathe in through the nose into all lobes simultaneously. And as you continue
to do this, place the fingers of both hands around onto your back ribs and have
your thumbs to the front, and notice how your ribs may move away from your
spine in all directions as you continue to breathe quietly now .
Process Two
Take your awareness
down to your belly. As you slowly breath in and out through your nose, be aware
of how much your belly rises and falls The next time you have taken a breath
in, hold the breath and now relax your belly muscles and discover how you can push
the air lower so your belly rises. And then squeeze your tummy muscles to
squeeze the air inside up into your upper chest. And continue this so that the
air moves up and down giving your insides a massage. And doing this with
awareness of how you are doing this. And when you are ready, relax all of your
muscles and let the air out of you and rest quietly breathing. Now do this
again. And notice the nature of the work of the muscles. How full is the range
of movement? And how smooth the transition? Just to notice. And feel if you can
engage more with your muscles to allow a fuller moving down into your belly
region. And now notice, what is the nature of the muscles moving? Are the
movements ‘clunky’? Jerky? OOr
can you discover how to have the movement gliding. Take a pause in the holding
whenever you need to and have a rest and breathe quietly. Then resume the
exercise. Can you keep this experience going, moving the air up and down inside
of you so that the flow of the air becomes a smooth glide…..up and…….down
again….and keeping up this up-down movement so that it becomes a pleasant
rocking motion…and taking the pause and gentle breathing and rest when you need
to.
Process
Three
Lie on your back on the floor and take your
awareness down to your belly and breathe out. Now, without breathing, use your
belly muscles to have your belly rise and be aware of how much upwards movement
there is in your belly Now breathe into the space you have created. Now do that
a few times while being very aware of what you are doing.
Now take your awareness to just below your
breast bone (your solar plexus) and breathe out. Now, without breathing, use
your muscles to have this part rise, and be aware of how much upwards movement
up there is in this region. Now breathe into the space you have created. Now do
that a few times while being very aware of what you are doing.
Now take your awareness to your upper chest
and breathe out. Now, without breathing, use your muscles to have this part
rise and be aware of how much upwards movement up there is. Notice that this
area tends to curve upwards and towards your chin. Now breathe into the space
you have created. Now do that a few times while being very aware of what you
are doing.
Now, recall – in which of the three areas was
the most movement – the belly, the solar plexus or the chest. Just to notice.
Now take your awareness to the area where
there was the most movement
and re-experience that again. Raising the area and then breathing into this
space.
With this awareness of moving with muscles and
breathing into this space, shift your awareness to the area where there was the
least movement and repeat the experience in this area.
A repeat this sequence a few times. Has there
been an increase in movement in the area that had the least movement?
Process Four
Take your awareness to
your diaphragm (the big muscle across the base of your lungs). Notice the role
of this muscle as you breathe – down as you breathe in and up as you breathe
out.
Process Five
Lay down on the floor
on your back with arms and legs long. As you are breathing, take your awareness
into each of your five lung lobes in turn, starting from the left lobe.
Now take your
awareness to your left lung and be aware of both lobes. Place your left hand so
your fingers go under your left rib cage at the back. Discover how your left
ribs at the back of your body can move down to the floor each time you breathe
in, as you continue breathing now for a time. Give this up and return your left
arm to the floor down near your hip
Now take your
awareness to your right lung and be aware of the three lobes. Place your right
hand so your fingers go under your right rib cage at the back. Discover how
your right ribs at the back of your body can move down to the floor each time
you breathe in, as you continue breathing now.
Now take your
awareness to all of the lobes of both lungs. Discover how your ribs at the back
of your body on both sides can move down to the floor each time you breathe in,
as you continue breathing now.
And take your
awareness to your front ribs on both sides and be aware of how they can rise
each time you breathe.
Now become aware of
all of your ribs and have the sense of how they are moving further away from
your spine in all directions each time you are breathing in.
Process Six
Exercising our lungs -
take a breath in through your nose and fill up your lungs. Now deliberately
take in two more top up breaths to have more air in your lungs. Let this air
out and have some quite breathing. Now repeat this process a number of times.
Process Seven
Breathe quietly in and
out through the nose. Now take your awareness to both of your feet and as you
are taking the next breath in, take a flow of awareness up through both legs
and into your belly and up into your heart area, pause for a little and then
have your awareness spread in all directions as you breath out. Experience this
a few times. Then as you breathe in, track awareness from outside your left
temple through into your head, then as you breath out,
have you awareness move outside of your body in the direction or directions
that you feel most fitting.
Sense your body for
any tightness and or discomfort if any, then as you breathe in, have a flow of
awareness go into the centre of that place, and in letting go of the breathe,
also have the flow of awareness outside of your body in the direction or
directions that you feel most fitting.