By Pete Whitridge
I’m looking forward to being at FSM March 15-16 to teach Dynamics of the Breath. This workshop focuses on assisting clients to calm their nervous systems and create greater ease in their ability to breathe. I love working in this area because it has such profound healing impact on clients in both emotional and physical realms. Breath is the most fundamental function in the human body. We can live without food or water for long periods of time; not so without air. On the physical level, it’s frightening and stressful to be unable to breathe properly; our fight or flight instinct becomes activated in a primal way when breath is inhibited. Working in this area with skillful awareness can help individuals clear emotional residue while releasing physical fascial restrictions.
When working with clients, I find it important to help them understand the anatomical structures of their bodies. One region that folks are frequently unfamiliar with is the heart space and thorax. By gently touching the clavicle, lower ribs, and helping people breathe into their diaphragms, I slowly introduce them to the boundaries of their heart container. When focusing on the heart space, we create a more parasympathetic body state and enhance emotional and physical state changes during our massage treatments.
Individuals experience restricted breathing for a variety of reasons, ranging from physical to emotional. For example, many people have been involved in a car accident where the airbag deployed. This experience is very traumatic and leads to broken ribs, painful movement, and poor breathing habits due to pain. Other clients come to us with various forms of a broken heart (thorax surgery, a broken relationship, or a death in the family). We can help people reinhabit this area slowly and gently during our massage sessions. Appropriate breathing feeds our cells, cleanses away metabolic waste and stabilizes the pH of our blood. High carbon dioxide levels in our body have a detrimental effect on our health, our sleep, and our longevity. Increased oxygen levels in the body create a pathway to better health and wellness.
According to James Nestor (Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art), people do not inhale and exhale through their noses frequently enough. Additionally, they don’t use their outbreath forcefully enough to change the pH of their blood. We will explore strategies to communicate with clients, helping them understand how to use their diaphragm more effectively to massage their organs as well as to expel more carbon dioxide out of their system. I’ll demonstrate a variety of skills to help soften the diaphragm, which takes pressure off the three vessels that pass through this vital structure.
This work is particularly beneficial for alleviating issues from car accidents, asthma, emphysema, COPD, and post-thoracic surgery. We will also be addressing emotional components of working in the heart space.
I’m very excited to share this work throughout the country this year. I’ll be teaching this class at the AMTA-NY Spring Event in Syracuse, at the AMTA National Convention in Dallas, and at the AMTA-WA Fall Event in Seattle.
I hope you’ll join us for this useful and restorative weekend. You will receive lots of bodywork and be able to incorporate what you’ve learned during the weekend immediately into your practice. The workshop will be held March 15-16; pre-registration pricing is available until February 21. Please get in touch if you have any questions. Pete’s cell: 772-332-6116.
To register: https://www.whitridgewellness.com/store/p46/Registration350.html
