Took a jaunt down the breath highway and read two books.
1. Dr. Breath by Carl Stough, 1970
2. Breatheology, by Stig Avall Severinsen, 2010
Dr. Breath is just a very good read. It is all about Carl Stough's progression from a choir teacher to working with emphysemics to working with the athletes of the 1968 Summer Olympics. Allegedly. I say allegedly because I can't find any corroborating evidence that any of this took place. Anyway, his specialty was something he called "Breathing Coordination", and, of course, there's no way to learn it except from a skilled practitioner. Be that as it may, he writes a very good book about what could be a very dry topic and I found myself reading it like a novel. Little tidbits like using the vocal cords as resistance to the diaphragm were very interesting and, in general, I do like the exercise he prescribes halfway through the book. http://www.scribd.com/doc/57406770/Dr-Breath
Breatheology is everywhere and nowhere. I spent $39 on this and didn't take one thing from it. I know Stig is an accomplished athlete, and I have no problem with the pervasive yoga influence, but this book is a horrible collection of mysticism, "studies" and narcissism. It could have all been saved if the exercises were laid out better and with good detail, but they weren't.
Breathing Books
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buckethead
Topic author - Sergeant Commanding
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Shapecharge
- Sergeant Commanding
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Re: Breathing Books
Matt, does he talk about breathing patterns during running and stuff like that? What's it supposed to do? Back when I was running a lot and could crank out some good speed I was well aware of a cyclical pattern of breathing that put me in a real sweet spot for covering ground. I backed off running for a long time and I'm trying to ease back into it a little bit but one think I notice is I can't get that rhythmic breathing back the way I had it. Occasionally I do but not consistently like I did before.
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buckethead
Topic author - Sergeant Commanding
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Re: Breathing Books
Dr. Breath (Carl Stough) apparently worked with runners, etc... at Tahoe in the high-altitude prep for the Mexico City Olympics of 1968. He's all about rhythmic coordinated breathing. For the athletes, most used it for warm-up relaxation, and, most importantly after the race/event for recovery from "Oxygen debt". He did mention that more endurance types were using his method during the race to good results.
From all of his descriptions, his method/philosophy boils down to this:
1. As infants we had perfectly coordinated, relaxed, diaphragm breathing.
2. We lose that ability during childhood and often incorporate accessory muscles, reducing volume
2.5 Many people, and even champion athletes, hold their breath unconsciously and often
3. Shortness of breath is not lack of oxygen but lack of fully expelling CO2
4. Making a sound and extending the exhale (without straining) gives the body proper breathing coordination feedback
5. The sound provides a resistance to the diaphragm, strengthening it (which he said doctor's said couldn't be done).
6. So, he recommends counting in a sing-song method without straining and letting the inhale be a reflex. The goal is to get to about 20-30 seconds for an inhale. Again, any strain and it means you're using accessory muscles (you can't sense the diaphragm).
So I've incorporated that theme into my workouts. Don't hold my breath unless necessary, be conscious of the exhale (that naturally extends it). I'm also playing around with sound, quietly as both he and Stig make very strong cases for it.
There's no doubt on a flat-surface, monotonous run, that this has helped my endurance
From all of his descriptions, his method/philosophy boils down to this:
1. As infants we had perfectly coordinated, relaxed, diaphragm breathing.
2. We lose that ability during childhood and often incorporate accessory muscles, reducing volume
2.5 Many people, and even champion athletes, hold their breath unconsciously and often
3. Shortness of breath is not lack of oxygen but lack of fully expelling CO2
4. Making a sound and extending the exhale (without straining) gives the body proper breathing coordination feedback
5. The sound provides a resistance to the diaphragm, strengthening it (which he said doctor's said couldn't be done).
6. So, he recommends counting in a sing-song method without straining and letting the inhale be a reflex. The goal is to get to about 20-30 seconds for an inhale. Again, any strain and it means you're using accessory muscles (you can't sense the diaphragm).
So I've incorporated that theme into my workouts. Don't hold my breath unless necessary, be conscious of the exhale (that naturally extends it). I'm also playing around with sound, quietly as both he and Stig make very strong cases for it.
There's no doubt on a flat-surface, monotonous run, that this has helped my endurance
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Shapecharge
- Sergeant Commanding
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Re: Breathing Books
Cha-ching. This helps validate a few things I have personally thought about but also discounted as being a bit weird and perhaps stupid. Good topic brother.
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buckethead
Topic author - Sergeant Commanding
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Re: Breathing Books
Here's a pretty good description:
http://silvermanwellness.com/karticle4.shtmlHere's how to begin your practice of BREATHING COORDINATION:
Find a quiet place to lie down. Put a pillow under your knees and also under your head. Once you are comfortable and have given yourself permission to completely relax, begin a SILENT COUNT, moving your lips as you shape the numbers from one to ten Do not make any sound, not even a whisper. You are going to begin to do this silent count without taking a breath. You will start from wherever you are in the breathing process at the time you begin. Your silent counting will occur easily. The muscles of your abdomen and back and those surrounding your ribs will relax. Your shoulders and neck will relax. You will feel yourself sinking downward as all of the muscles of your body release, relax and let go. You will not do anything to make this experience of relaxation happen. It will occur naturally as you silent count.
Simply imagine that the vowels of the numbers you are shaping are dripping from your upper lip, one following the other, comfortably flowing in a downward direction. Continue allowing one shape to flow into the next until you feel an AUTOMATIC INHALE come over you. If your body is not yet ready to respond reflexively, take note of any tension that might be creeping up in your abdomen. Before your abdomen succumbs to this tension, simply allow an INHALE to occur. Then begin your LOUD COUNT, "1-2-3-4-5". If you find yourself becoming tense before you reach the number 5, then just count to the number 2 or the number 3 or whatever number comes before the advent of any tension. There is no rush. No competition. No desire to count to any particular number. You are merely listening to your own body and asking of it only that which it can do comfortably. You are not trying to accomplish anything. You are simply letting go and giving yourself the time to enjoy this special time: listening to your body…. feeling…….. and sensing….. the smallest of messages……….. from yourself.. Taking notice of any little bit of tension that may be coming into your body as you loud count, you return to your SILENT COUNT just shortly before any small amount of tension creeps in, taking special notice of your abdomen- always allowing it to stay completely relaxed as it falls back into your hips. Your silent count now continues as long as you can feel your chest and your abdomen, your back and your shoulders, your neck and your arms and legs and torso letting go. By now, feeling extremely relaxed, almost floating, you have a deep awareness of all parts of yourself and as you continue to silent count, you take note of a slight tension coming from the distance into some part of your body. Before it arrives, you allow the AUTOMATIC INHALE to occur. Then you begin to LOUD COUNT and this time you add one or two more counts to the previous loud count number (If, for example, you counted to 10 on your previous loud count, this time you might count to ten and then add an additional 1-2 or even an additional 10. The count this time might be 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-1-2 or 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10. The manner in which you build your count will be totally individual, as it is completely dependent upon your capacity to move to the next step of the process before bodily tension occurs. All the time, the sounds are easily dripping from your upper lip as you feel the release of your chin and every other part of your body continuing throughout the process. Then, just before tension occurs, SILENT COUNT, then before you feel any pressure,AUTOMATIC INHALE, then LOUD COUNT until just before any small amount of pressure creeps in,continuing SILENT COUNT, AUTOMATIC INHALE, LOUD COUNT etc. as you slowly and calmly build your loud count by twos or fours or whatever is called for by your own body.
Begin your day, if you are able, by practicing Breathing Coordination. It is also a wonderful way to begin your evening sleep. Throughout the counting process you can raise up your knees to the ceiling, allowing the soles of your feet to stay on the same surface as your back and easily move your hips from side to side to release your back as your diaphragm begins to slide up into your ribcage while you are easily building your count. You can also put your arms straight out in front of you, clasp your fingers and move your straightened arms from left to right in order to facilitate the release of your back and shoulders. The relaxation of the spine is an important step in the recoordination process.