At
the Breathing Seminars in Russia this month, we have been focusing on
relaxing and releasing the biggest muscle in your body: the diaphragm.
Fairuz
Bikayev, a Bashkir businessman who deals in precious and semiprecious
stones and gems, is also a seasoned martial arts practitioner. On the
3rd day of a recent 5-Day Breathwork Intensive, he shared this:
“I
finally got what it means to completely release and relax my diaphragm.
And something remarkable has happened: the chronic back pain I have
been dealing with for more than ten years just disappeared. It melted
away. I amamazed!”
He said: “In
my spiritual practice, I have been struggling lately with what felt
like a deep split or a conflict in myself. During the breathing session
today, I had a powerful insight and I was able to mend that split and
end the conflict.”
He also said: “As
I was meditating on my diaphragm, feeling into it, I relaxed beyond a
point I was never able to go, and I was suddenly filled with a peace I
have never known. This peace is now affecting everything I do, and I
know in my heart that it will never go away.”
No wonder the diaphragm has been called a spiritual muscle!
“Diaphragm”
comes from the Greek word meaning ‘partition’. “Dia” means ‘through,
apart’, and “phragma” means ‘a fence’. And here’s an interesting point:
the Greek word “phren” refers both to the diaphragm and to the mind or
brain.
The
diaphragm is a very unique muscle. It separates—or one might better
say—it connects the chest and the belly. It forms the floor of the
thorax and the roof of the abdomen.
When
the diaphragm contracts we automatically breathe in, and when it
relaxes we automatically breathe out. A healthy relaxed diaphragm takes a
dome shape, like an open parachute or umbrella; and as it contracts, it
flattens downward.
The
movement of the diaphragm naturally massages all the abdominal organs
that lay beneath it, and it also massages the heart that sits on top of
it. That’s why the greater the excursion rate (up and down movement) of
our diaphragm, the healthier we are.
The
diaphragm is hard-wired to the respiratory center in the medulla and
pons in the brain stem—which is the most ancient and primal part of our
brain. It is also wired to the limbic system—the source of our emotions;
and it is wired to the motor and pre-motor cortex—areas responsible for
conscious control of our movements.
In
a way, the diaphragm is where emotions meet rational thinking, where
body meets mind. It’s where conscious and unconscious processes meet.
Not only is the diaphragm connected to the left and right hemispheres of
the brain: it is also where the oldest part of our nervous system
interacts with the newest part in a creative and practical way.
No wonder the diaphragm has been called a spiritual muscle!
Like
all skeletal muscles, the diaphragm is attached to bones, although it
does not directly move any joints. But unlike other skeletal muscles, it
never stops working. And in addition to being the primary breathing
muscle, it also helps us maintain posture and balance.
The
diaphragm is structurally attached to the body in a number of ways. It
is tied to the 12th thoracic vertebrae, to the upper lumbar vertebrae,
and also to the six lower ribs.
One
way of looking at what might be called optimal structural alignment in
terms of the diaphragm and rib cage, is the analogy of a “ball and
socket” joint. When relaxed after an exhale, the diaphragm should fit
nicely up into the rib cage, like a ball fitting perfectly into a
socket.
When
the diaphragm contracts, the muscles between the ribs (intercostal
muscles) also contract, lifting and separating the ribs. This decreases
pressure and increases the space inside the chest cavity, which causes
air to rush in.
When
the diaphragm relaxes, it returns to its dome shape, the intercostal
muscles relax, and the chest cavity shrinks. This increases pressure,
which causes air to rush back out again.
And so breathing is actually a divine play of air and energy, of internal and external spaces and pressures.
To
bring ourselves into conscious harmony with this divine play of space
and energy, we often practice this Spiritual Breathing Exercise: We
meditate on “opening and expanding” ourselves. We create a sense of
spaciousness in the body, allowing the breath to ‘pour’ into us, rather
than the familiar experience of ‘pulling’ the breath in.
Here’s an interesting tidbit: Do you know the “side stich” that runners
often get—that sharp pain just under the ribs? This happens when the
diaphragm doesn’t sit high enough in the rib cage. As a result, it rubs
up and down against the lower ribs as we breathe. This common problem
can be permanently eliminated with just a few hours of focused
breathwork training.
Our
relationship to the diaphragm is more than just physical. The diaphragm
contracts in response to threats—real or imagined. It responds to
pain—actual or anticipated. It expresses and reflects our stress
responses. Contraction of the diaphragm is part of the body’s emergency
response system: fight, flight, or freeze.
When
a feeling comes, the diaphragm responds. When we relax into the
feeling—when we surrender to it—the diaphragm releases, and we
experience a felt sense of deep peace.
When
the diaphragm swings freely, the ego relaxes and expands. When it does,
our sense of separation dissolves a bit and we feel a natural loving
connection with everyone and everything around us. We feel a unique
sense of peace and “oneness,” of coming home to ourselves, and to God or
universal love.
On
the other hand, stressful, anxious, angry or fearful states and
reactions create tension in the diaphragm that we may not feel; and that
tension remains in place during the exhale. Just when the diaphragm is
supposed to physiologically relax and rest, giving us a sense of peace
and ease, we get a stress signal instead.
This
sets up an internal feedback loop: Tension in the diaphragm acts as an
emergency signal, causing a vague sense of systemic anxiety and stress.
That anxiety and stress creates tension in the diaphragm. That tension
feeds the anxiety, and on and on it goes, until…
Focused
awareness and breath release techniques interrupt and break that
vicious cycle, producing a unique sense of peaceful energy that can be
very surprising—even to people who feel that they are already relaxed
and calm.
Remember,
no matter how relaxed you are you can always relax more. And when you
do, a certain peace that passes understanding will come to you! We are
renewed and recharged in those precious moments of total relaxation.
There
is so much more to breathing and to the diaphragm and its workings than
we realize. I hope you will begin to meditate on this spiritual muscle,
and that you will practice more breath awareness and more conscious
breathing.
I
especially hope that you will learn to release and relax your
diaphragm, as my friend Fairuz the gem dealing martial artist from Ufa
has done!
I
invite you to attend a breathwork seminar, workshop, or training, or to
schedule a private individual session. Check my schedule and meet me on
the path! Or come to Mexico between November and March for one of our
21-Day Breathwork, Healing Arts, and Life Skills programs.
I also invite you to enroll in my Online Course: 21 Lessons in the Art and Science of Breathwork.
All the information is here:
http://breathmastery.com/onlinecourse
This
month, you can take advantage of my subscriber’s discount and save
$300. Enroll right now for only $150! (Regular tuition is $450)
Here is a Breathing Technique that will bring you a myriad of benefits:
1. Blow all your air out, exhale completely.
2. Hold your breath.
3. Move your diaphragm up and down ten or twenty times.
4. Relax and let the breath come and go by itself.
5. Meditate on the feelings and sensations of energy on your body.
Here is another exercise that you can practice right now:
Simply slow your breathing down. Let your exhale be more full and
complete. Don’t rush into the next inhale before giving your diaphragm a
chance to rest and re-set itself before continuing on its never ending
life giving service to your health and wellbeing!
You can also get a lot of information from my new book:
Shut Up And Breathe! Exploring the Art And Science of Breathwork.
You can download it here FREE:
www.breathmastery.com/ShutUpAndBreathe
Good luck in your practice, and many blessings on your way!
Dan
For more information about Breathwork, please go to
www.breathmastery.com.
Download your free copy of my book, "Shut Up And Breathe!" http://breathmastery.com/onlinecourse
Or, join my Breath Mastery Inner Circle, and freely
access almost 40 years of breath and breathing research, articles,
essays, audio/video files, seminar transcripts, workshop handouts, and
even complete training manuals!
Visit:
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