Are your current breathing habits helping you stay healthy, or potentially causing back pain, shoulder pain or neck pain?  Is your current breath pattern helping improve your posture with every breath you take?

Breathing is something we take for granted.  It happens automatically to keep us alive.  Inhaling is the first thing we do when we’re born, and exhaling is the last things we do when we die.  Every minute, of every day  for our entire life, our heart beats to pump life nourishing blood through our system, and our lungs and diaphragm work to provide oxygen to our blood & cells.

It’s nice to know that we don’t have to think really hard to keep breathing and stay alive, but better breathing habits definitely have added benefits to improve our health. 

These Pilates Breathing Tips Can Help:

My dear friend and Pilates mentor, Dianne Miller, made this comment to me about breathing – and it was a revolutionary thought  that has stuck in my brain and helped focus on breathing to improve posture,  assist with the natural action of breathing for compression/decompression of the spine, improve Pilates exercise technique, and help reduce both lower back pain, and neck pain.

“Breathing elongates the natural curves of the spine.”

This is a KEY principle in allowing the breath to assist the body for improved posture & functional movement!

“Breathing elongates the natural curves of the spine.”

There Are 3 Distinct Curves of the Spine: 

1. Lumbar Curve – An arch in the lower back.  (Ideally with the apex of the curve at L3 – at the belly button.)
2. Thoracic Curve – A rounded, flexed upper back.  (So the curve of the shoulder blades can rest on the curve of the ribcage, that is attached to the curve of the spine.)
3. Cervical Curve – An arch in the neck.  (Which should mirror the arch in the Lumbar spine.)

These curves work as a balance, and shock-absorbing system as we sit, stand, walk, and run – fighting gravity all day.

What happens if your curves are not bending at the right spots? 

Balance is off, and there will be undue stress placed in other parts of the torso, neck,  and back.

For Example:

I used to be a gymnast & dancer.  Big arch in my lumbar spine, (spanned my lumbar & ½ of my thoracic curve.)  This long, over-extended arch put a lot of additional strain on my lower back.  My abs could never pull in enough or work hard enough to keep my back from hurting.  And because my thoracic curve was not in flexion, but in extension it restricted my ability to get air to the bottom of my lungs – which made me a very shallow, high-chest breather.

With this posture position, I had chronic low back pain, chronic neck pain, tight shoulders, and usually by Friday afternoons a whopping headache from trying to hold things together with tension and tight muscles in the wrong places.  In addition to this, I experienced a voice injury – because I held my head forward on my neck and there wasn’t enough free air-flow through my windpipe as I spoke for me to project my voice without strain.  But I am not alone…many people have a similar posture position to this!

• Any posture that deviates from the 3 natural curves, balanced, and changing directions at the appropriate points will have an increased risk of back pain and neck pain.
• Any posture that does not “Ride the Breath” to elongate the natural curves of the spine on an inhale, and allows the back bones  to naturally come closer together on an exhale, is missing out on the benefits of breathing for better health.

Become Aware of Your Breathing Habits:

Stand in front of a mirror and watch yourself breathe.

Where does the air go inside your body as you inhale?

• Into the Belly?
• Into the Back, Lower Ribs?
• Into the Chest?

If when you inhale air is going into the belly – you are losing the support in the front of your Lumbar Curve, and your inhale is pulling your lower back into more extension, and causing the back bones to come closer together.  Resulting in compression on your inhale AND more compression on the exhale.  Not a happy feeling for your spine!

If when you inhale air is going into your chest – you are increasing the extension of your thoracic curve.  This means your whole back is arching more, creating more tension in the mid-to-low back and eliminating the opportunity for you to fully fill your lungs with air.  Breathing will be quick and shallow.  The back muscles will be over working, and it will be difficult to get the abdominals to function for better balance and support.  The shoulders will also more-than-likely, be elevated with an increase in neck & shoulder tension, and the head forward, out of balance on the spine.

Learning to inhale and fill the Back, bottom ribs first, then continuing to fill the lungs up through the back of the torso is optimal.

In Pilates we call this Posterio-Lateral Breathing.  You are breathing into the back and sides of the ribcage.  Since the ribs are attached to the spine, if you start filling at the bottom first – the ribs will lift and separate as you fill with air.  When the ribs come apart, it gently pulls each segment of the spine apart also – opening the space between each joint and providing a natural moment of decompression. 

This Posterio-Lateral / Back Rib breathing technique will lift the ribcage up off the hips, while maintaining  and elongating the natural curves of the spine.  The result:  Better posture, reduced back pain, and an improved range of motion for functional movement.

Let’s take a look at your shoulders, neck, and head while you breathe.

Stand back in front of your mirror, and look at what your neck is doing as you breathe in.

• Do you see the front of the neck grip and tighten as you inhale?
• Do your shoulders actively hike up around your ears on your inhale?
• Does your head get closer to your shoulders as you inhale?
• Does your neck & head lengthen up and away from your shoulders?

If you see any of the first three happening as you inhale, neck muscles tighten, shoulders rise, head gets closer to your torso… you are jamming your head into your body with every breath!

Strive to carry the inhale up the spine with a relaxed neck, and continue lifting all the way up to the base of the skull.  You should feel like your head is a helium balloon floating up to the sky on your inhale.  Done well, the shoulders will rise a little, but only because you are filling with air, not because they are actively lifting.  I almost feel my shoulders go down, the farther up I fill my spine with air.

The shoulders dropping (or pulling down from the bottom tips of the shoulder blades) can be a great anchor point for leverage to ensure the lifting and elongation of the spine on your inhale. This counter-leverage may stretch your neck muscles a bit.  By keeping  your head up lighter at the top of your spine, and doing less gripping with your shoulders and neck muscles when you inhale, you will begin to notice a significant reduction in neck pain.  For me, figuring this out with my neck meant my Friday afternoon headaches went completely away!

Learning to elongate the natural curves of the spine on your inhale, and maintaining good core support on your exhale will help improve your posture, and keep your neck and back healthy.

Ideally this Posterio-Lateral Pilates breathing technique should be your everyday breathing style.

It probably won’t happen overnight!  But throughout your day, pause and take 5-10 breaths focused on feeling the lengthening of your spine, and support of your belly, with your shoulders relaxed down and your neck and head floating up.  In time, you will begin to notice that your body is naturally doing this a bit more as you are reinforcing better habits for whole-body health.

Practice this new breathing habit standing still or seated first, then apply it to everything you do for movement and exercise.  Pilates, Yoga, walking, running, dance, weight lifting, swimming, cycling, cleaning the house, mowing the yard… with everything you do – learning to breathe better is your best-friend for a healthy life!

Today’s foot fitness tip is especially important for runners, walkers.  It also can benefit people with lower back issues.  I’m going to share my “secrets for success” in improving leg, ankle, and foot flexibility with an easy and effective calf stretch. Whether you’re fit with no injuries, or are experiencing back pain, or just have tight lower back muscles from lifestyle habits or vigorous workouts taking the time to stretch your ankles and calf muscles can help keep both your legs and lower back in great shape!  Check out this video clip to discover how to get the most from your calf stretch.

Click here to view the embedded video.

One of the great things about Pilates training is the number of exercises, especially on the Reformer where we get to rise up on our toes, and lower our heels against the resistance of the springs to help elongate the legs while strengthening and stretching  the calves.  But you might not always have a Reformer or Pilates Tower handy for an effective calf stretch, so here’s a great way to stretch your ankles and lower legs at home before or after any fitness workout!

• Lay down on your back.
• If you’ve really got tight hamstrings, bend your left knee and put your left foot flat on the floor while you lift your right leg up towards the ceiling.
• If you’re more flexible, you can keep your left leg extended straight on the mat while you lift your right leg up.

You can do this with no extra equipment, but I like to use a towel, strap, or magic circle to help me release the ankle and deepen the stretch.

• Place your toy of choice across the ball of the foot and hang on with your hands to use your upper body to assist your stretch.

• Inhale to point the foot, Exhale and hinge where the foot meets the leg thinking about lengthening the heel up to the ceiling for a good stretch.
• Hold this flexed foot position and take three to five long deep breaths striving to relax the ankle and deepen the stretch with every exhale.

After your 3-5 breaths, inhale to point the foot and exhale to flex again.  Hold or deepen the flex for another 3-5 breaths.  Inhale to point, and flex again to repeat one more time.

Here Are A Few Things To Think About To Get The Most From Your Stretch:

1. Be sure as you flex the ankle, that you initiate the hinge from the heel reaching away from your body, rather than the toes pulling backwards.  If you start from the toes, you’re actually jamming the toes toward the foot, and jamming the foot into the ankle joint which will restrict your movement at the ankle and reduce the effectiveness of your stretch (even though you are probably still feeling a stretch!) Elongating through the heel to start and deepen your stretch helps keep the ankle joint open.  More joint space means more potential movement and a more effective stretch!
2. Be sure that the whole foot hinges back evenly. I like to think about the inner side of the heel lengthening away to help the little toe side of the foot pull down to keep the whole foot even.  It’s kind of like you’re trying to stand on the ceiling.  You can also use your hands on your towel, strap, or Magic Circle to help keep the foot in good alignment as you stretch.
3. As you’re stretching your ankle, strive to keep your butt and pelvis still and square on the mat.
4. Abdominals should be pulled in to support holding your back in a steady, neutral position.
5. Especially if you’re doing this with your supporting leg bent, be sure you’re not pushing with that leg to tuck your pelvis under, or hiking a hip up. Think about your hips and shoulders square like a box.  Keep all four corners of your box evenly weighted on the floor with your sitz bones lengthening out to the far end of your mat.

Last thing, you will stretch different parts of your calf with a straight leg versus a bent knee, but the hinging aspect of moving the foot from the ankle is the same. So be sure you’re clear on if you’re doing a straight leg stretch (which will give your Hamstring, Gastrocnemius, ankle and foot a stretch.) Or if you’re choosing to stretch with a bent knee (which will be less Hamstrings, the Soleus muscle, ankle, and foot.)

How Many Reps?

Especially if you run and walk a lot, I’d recommend doing both legs with a bent leg first 3-5 breaths, 3 times, then repeating it all with a straight leg.  If you’re short on time, do at least one set of 3-5 breaths with a straight leg, and time permitting another set of 3-5 breaths with a bent leg.

Remember to lead with the heel reaching away from the body to flex the ankle, so the front of the ankle can stay loose and relaxed to help you get the most movement from the ankle and best stretch possible.

Hope you enjoy improved ankle flexibility to keep you healthy and injury free.   Have a GREAT Day!

The cause of most adolescent scoliosis is unknown. It affects 3-5 out of every 1,000 children, and is more common and more severe in girls.

Scoliosis can be:

• Idiopathic – Of unknown cause.
• Functional – From poor posture and body alignment habits.
• Structural – Caused by disease, or birth defects.

So why is bracing used if the experts aren’t positive it’s actually working?

Based on the severity some sort of treatment is required, because if left untreated damage to the spine, heart, and lungs can occur as an adult.  Bracing is less evasive and still allows the option to strengthen the body through exercise and movement to balance and support the spine.  The alternative option of surgery and spine fusion is a permanent and last-resort option to protect the health of internal organs and quality of life.

What else can you do to treat Scoliosis?

While studies so far show that none of these can prevent the progression of scoliosis, they may offer some relief of symptoms.

• Manipulation by a Chiropractor, Kinesiologist, or Osteopathic Doctor
• Electrical Stimulation
• Diet & Nutrition
• Exercise

The benefits of Pilates for clients with scoliosis

Over the years,  I’ve had many clients with varying degrees of curvature of the spine participate in Pilates programs.  And while there might not be documented research to the benefits of Pilates exercises for scoliosis…From my experience, I have seen amazing gains in strength, and mobility.  The curves  don’t  go back to normal, but it is possible to learn how to strengthen the body and retrain some of the weaker muscles to better support the spine and achieve more optimal muscle balance.  Plus increased body awareness of good and bad posture habits is vital to learn how to avoid falling into the poor alignment that the scoliosis curve would prefer.  Spend more time using your own muscles to strive for good posture through Pilates and other fitness exercises, and you’re retraining the body for better health.

Looking at the Difference in Support Options

A brace is an external support for the spine. If the brace is doing the work, our muscles don’t have to work as hard (and in my opinion….may become weaker over time.) But if you don’t have the muscle awareness or strength to properly support the body all day long…bracing may be required to assist.

Spine fusion surgery creates permanent internal support for the spine. (While this might solve one problem, it has the potential to create others) And generally speaking fusion surgery is a last resort option.

Exercise strengthens the core and back muscles so your body can provide it’s own  muscular support for the spine. Pilates  exercises with the focus on core stabilization, and functional mobility of the spine in all directions – flexion, extension, side bending, and rotation, and should be considered as a primary care option to assist in improving health and supporting the spine.

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases continues to research and learn more about treatments for scoliosis to determine the best modalities for improved health.  I hope in time, that more documented research into the benefits of Pilates for scoliosis will be conducted.

In fact according to the AMA, 70 to 85 percent of all people have back pain at some time in their life. Yikes, what a staggeringly high number of people, and I suspect that unfortunately, these numbers are probably going up rather than down!

As one of those in this majority, who suffers with congenital back issues, I have spent most of my life actively doing things to help keep my body strong, fit, and flexible.  I have discovered over the years, that there are some things my body loves to do, and other things that are guaranteed to cause me grief.  And what I have learned is that the more I exercise and stay active, generally, the better my back feels, and the happier and healthier my whole-body is.

Let’s face it, when your body hurts, it’s under stress.   While some muscle tension is good and appropriate to maintain posture and help us move around, overly tight muscles create unnecessary stress and too much tension which unfortunately can lead to back pain. When any of the bones in our body are held too tightly together by muscle contraction, or misalignment, freedom of movement will be restricted and over time, with the inability to enjoy free and easy movement, poor posture and pain can be the result.  It’s no secret that stress causes tension… 

Discover how to reduce neck pain, and back pain with Pilates breathing techniques.

Learning effective breathing techniques can be one of the easiest and most effective ways to begin releasing stress and mobilizing the spine without big, dramatic movement or specific back-care exercises.  Whether back pain bothers your lower, middle, or upper back and neck – learning how to lengthen and support the back, AND breathe is a great exercise that can be practiced anytime and anywhere to help release stress and reduce pain.

While it’s always best to consult your physician if you’re experiencing any pain or injury, breathing is still required to stay alive!  And there are lots of different ways to breathe. When your body is in pain, it will resort to an instinctual pattern that is shallow and will help you turn over just enough oxygen to keep all systems functioning to keep you alive.

While this is practically helpful to be able to get through the day, it may not help solve the bigger issues at hand.

Pilates posterio-lateral breathing is an excellent choice to benefit back care. This is a big fancy word for breathing into the back (posterio) and sides (lateral) of the ribcage.  Under the ribcage are the lungs which fill with air on every inhale.  Not only does the ribcage help to protect our lungs and other internal organs, but each rib attaches to the spine.  As we inhale, and fill our lungs with air, each rib should lift and separate creating space and length through the back of the body (basically stretching the spine!) As the ribs separate, since they are attached to each segment of the spine(vertebrae) , the segments are pulled apart too.

Because I’m personally prone to both lower back and neck issues, I like to take the practice of my posterio-lateral breathing and carry it the full length of my spine so I can feel my inhale lengthen down through my tailbone, and up through the top of my head.  It feels slightly different when I’m seated, standing, or laying down, so I’ve got lots of different places to practice throughout the day.  I find that lots of times my inhale tends to stop at my shoulders and my head actually jams down on my neck – No wonder it hurts!  Feeling the head float off the neck on an inhale is very liberating for releasing tension.

Good breathing habits provide compression and decompression for the spine. Inhale and the vertebrae lift apart – decompression.  Exhale and the vertebrae come closer together – compression.  This rhythmic action should be happening with every breath we take, all day long to provide a pumping action for vital nutrients and fluids to move up and down the spinal column. When we experience an injury, accident, or back pain for any reason, there may be one, two,  or multiple segments restricted from this natural movement.  This tension of our bones being held too tightly together, and lack of freedom to move for decompression and compression during breathing, and daily life activities, may, over time result in a chronic back pain problem.

Practicing better breathing habits may not solve all your back pain issues, but it’s certainly a great place to start, and will assist you with good movement and muscle use while you incorporate the most appropriate back-care exercises into your daily routine to keep your body healthy and pain-free.

Discover helpful tips and techniques for Pilates posterior-lateral Breathing Exercises here:

http://www.centerworks.com/blog/2005/10/10/breathing-basics/