Breath Training and Being Breathed.

Breath Training and Being Breathed.
From limited breath work training (outlined below) the following is new insight to a broad and deep topic.

*this was posted in 2008 and is an extract of the original article.....


Conscious/deliberately practiced breathing has been a significant part of my class program Posture Plus™ since the outset. My initial training in Pilates introduced the conscious practice of timed breathing which allows one to contract core muscles fully, aiding Pilates based exercises.


Following my introduction to breath work with Pilates came Stretch Therapy™ with Kit Laughlin (www.pandf.com.au). The Stretch Therapy™ training developed my breath work appreciation further utilising diaphragmatic breathing to take the body towards a relaxed state whilst also enabling one to manipulate and influence stretch/ exercise results.


As my Pilates teacher said (often) “breathing makes the exercise”. This I believed, but did not (until now) fully comprehend. I have recently been introduced to a new concept with regards breathing and that is 'Be Breathed'™ by Scott Sonnon. (www.cstaus.com.au)


In April of 2008 I was introduced to the concept of letting the body breathe you through out your training. It was not until I started playing with my Clubbbells™ that I actually grasped this concept. To 'be breathed'™ rather than controlling the breath was the opposite to what I had been doing and teaching for seven years!

After initial fear and resistance… I did not have to undo all my training and teaching (phew).


July I started playing with the 'Be Breathed'™ DVD. The movements and philosophy within the 'Be breathed'™ routine run very close to the way 'ab' work is taught within Posture Plus™. The CST 'Be breathed'™ routine has a few extensions (figuratively and literally) but the sequenced use of breath is similar.


The story I wish to share is the insight I gained during my week at my mothers bedside. My mother suffered one of the cruelest diseases known; Motor Neurone Disease (www.mnd.asn).
In the Northern Hemisphere ALS (Lou Gehrig's); SMA or Kennedy's Disease.


I started writing this whilst in my mothers room, listening intently to her breathe. The significance of her breath was due to the nature of her disease. Whilst being present with my mother in her final week we were intently focused on her breath. My mother had made it clear she was ready to depart and wanted the supplimentary oxygen off. Taking off the oxygen we (Drs included) all thought would mean a quick end to her suffering.


To our astonishment mum lasted nearly a full week without the oxygen. Her breath (when fully sedated) was relaxed and rhythmical. As the days passed it was obvious the body was slowly shutting down, but her pulse was strong and her breath remained rhythmical. By the third day (off the oxygen) it suddenly occurred to be that we are breathed!


As Scott states in the 'Be breathed'™ DVD

“be breathed is not something you do, it is something
you are/ become”

This is true in relation to movement (as mentioned at the start of this story) but it is also true for the Spirit. Without conscious beliefs/ fears blocking my mother’s breath, the body was being breathed in a calm relaxed manner.


So how can this be?

Putting aside the power of the mind with its ability to convince oneself of how things 'are'. In my mothers case “my disease has progressed to the point where I need oxygen”. She did 'need' the oxygen, as a pacifier to keep her calm and comfortable. Once she was sedated and the mental fears were eliminated, the body kept breathing… she didn’t NEED the supplementary Oxygen.

How is this so?

After witnessing the continual breath in. The automatic internally driven breath in. I now believe this is how it is! We don't breathe to stay alive, we are breathed.


What we think of as breathing, is our manipulation of the inwardly driven breath in. We manipulate breathing via our responses (both conscious and subconscious), as a result of stress; physical movement and emotional challenges. This responsive or controlled breathing is usually a shallow breath driven by accessory muscles- not the diaphragm. But in an unconscious state (as in sleep) we are breathed; we can breathe completely...unrestricted.

So what can be taken from this?
With the nicest of intents...that is up to you.
For me, it takes the pressure off literally. Breathing will happen as a matter of fact; as I experienced (but did not absorb) in the past few months with my Clubbell™ training. As I witnessed in the past week with my mother, and as I experimented out running this week. You can extend yourself physically if you train trusting that you will be breathed.

As I move in to my first ever Yoga training... I will add to these insights on breath work and breath mastery!