A good way to keep ourselves mobile and our movement fluid is to recognize how breathing moves the spine, diaphragm and pelvic floor muscles. When we breath in, our spine gathers while our respiratory diaphragm and pelvic floor lowers. When we breath out, the spine lengthens as our respiratory diaphragm and pelvic floor rises. This is quite a lot of movement that occurs with each and every breath we take. Think of the breath like a pilot light in a furnace. It keeps the body primed and ready for action for when we want to turn the heat on.

Sensational exhale exercise: Sitting in a chair or standing, close your eyes and breath in and out. Visualize your spine lengthening and gathering. Sense your diaphragm and pelvic floor rising and lowering. Take a larger inhale and extend your exhale longer than you may normally exhale. As you extend the exhale, feel your abdominal muscles begin to contract. Keep exhaling and notice that you can feel your pelvic floor engaging and rising. After you’ve exhaled far enough, let go and let your body inhale naturally, following up with some assisted inhale at the end. Take a couple easy breaths and repeat the process a couple more times.

The sensational exhale exercise is a useful way to mobilize the bones, joints, muscles, fascia and organs of your torso. I use it with all my bodywork clients as it helps release stubborn tension patterns and encourages more movement with each and every breath. It can be very energizing as well. I begin most of my daily meditations with a sensational exhale or two. I notice it clears the “noise” in my nervous system that accumulates from everyday living and helps me settle in better.

We’ll continue exploring mechanisms of the breath in the next post.