Breathe for Stability!

After some recent courses and letting the all the wonderful information soak in, one thing that stood out was the importance of breathing and how the alignment of your torso can affect it. Any dysfunction or imbalance with your breathing can be felt throughout the body. The primary mover of breathing is your diaphragm and, along with your abdominals and pelvic floor musculature, it also helps to provide stability in the body. In a recent interview with Dr. Perry Nickelson D.C., Physiotherapist Julie Weibe explains this relationship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogBrXXRQ-zA

In it she gives an amazing overview of the “piston” movement a properly functioning diaphragm, abdominals and pelvic floor can achieve. She emphases the need to stack your ribs on your pelvis to allow optimal function. In a related article on her site regarding alignment, she writes “This ribs over pelvis position optimizes the interaction of the diaphragm and pelvic floor, promoting their pistoning action (down on inhale, up on exhale) which balances the intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) that insures lumbar and pelvic stability.” So if properly stacked, your breath can have the ability to give you much needed lumbar and pelvic strength, creating a solid foundation in your body and allowing for ideal movement in any position. This wave of pressures back and forth also gives a nice massage to the organs in your torso enhancing their function. Definitely worth checking out!