To: K-list
Recieved: 2003/08/02 03:22
Subject: [K-list] Re: Diaphragmology/muscles of resp/BMC & Network Chiro
From: Nina Murrell-Kisner
On 2003/08/02 03:22, Nina Murrell-Kisner posted thus to the K-list:
Hello, Richard,
Thanks for the link and discussion of the muscles of respiration. It inspired
me to do some web research on the topic. There is some variation among the
classification of different muscles, but generally it is agreed that the
diaphragm is a primary muscle of respiration (see one of the links below for a
full run-down). It is interesting to see how the intercostals are viewed by
various sources. While all of the sources classified the external and internal
intercostals as muscles of respiration, some sources distinguished between
labored and relaxed breathing. During labored breathing (as during exercise or
when there is resistance toe inhale, during times when the body is signaled
that much more oxygen is needed), the external intercostals draw the ribs and
sternum up and out during inspiration and while the internal intercostals draw
the ribs down and in during expiration. That differentiation is really
fascinating, and could explain how you and I came to have different personal
experiences and views on the roles of these muscles in respiration.
I found this link particularly interesting as regards understanding the
complexity of the role of muscles in respiration:
http://www.d.umn.edu/~ameredit/anatomysite/Respirationmuscularsystemnotes.htm
As I read through the notes, I found myself exploring what it felt like to
breath primarily with each of the mentioned muscles. (Without resistance, and
through my nose /grin/.) It really changes the experience of breathing to have
the breath originate from the different muscle groups. This reminded me of two
practices to which I have been exposed: Body Mind Centering and Network
Chiropractic.
The exposure I have had to the methods of Body Mind Centering was brief, but
quite meaningful, in that it helped deepen my abilities to explore functional
processes of the body as they arise from the organs and various systems of the
body. Specifically, we studied how the organs, in particular the lungs,
support/underpin asana. I think this is a critical difference in the directions
from which the two of us enter this conversation. I am coming at it from inside
the lungs (and using the nose, not the mouth for drawing and expelling air),
from a perspective where muscular work is not the source of movement. It was an
amazing study - and something which you might find a very interesting as a
comparison to what you have learned and experienced:
http://www.bodymindcentering.com/
(It is also the source of my initial exposure to the conche in the nose and
their functional relation to the inhalation into the corresponding lobes of the
lungs.)
Breathing from the individual muscles involved in respiration reminded me of
the experience of Network Chiropractic adjustments and what happens when (what
NC practicioners refer to as) gates open. The breath spontaneously moves
through that gate in a wave-like manner. Sometimes, by intentionally bringing
the breath/consciousness to the area of the gate, the 'spontaneous' breath can
be precipitated.
How strange that you find my terminology to be 'non-technical' and 'spiritual'.
I suppose it is a matter of perspective.
Richard, here is a link I thought you might find interesting:
"Of the hereditary neuropathies, CMT disease or hereditary motor and sensory
neuropathy is undoubtedly the most common. CMT disease is characterized by
chronic degeneration of peripheral nerves and roots, resulting in muscle
wasting, beginning in the feet and legs and subsequently involving the hands.
The association of CMT disease with diaphragm weakness resulting in major
breathing difficulty was first reported by us in 1985."
This article brought to mind the differences one experiences in the aspects of
the breath (inhale, exhale, pause) when the body is positioned in different
relationships to gravity. It is easier to inhale / harder to exhale while
upright; it is easier to exhale / harder to inhale when inverted (as in
handstand). There is also a difference in the length/quality of the pause
between exhale and inhale. This can be explained partially by what the
diaphragm has to 'move' in the different positions relative to gravity.
You asked how I can tell if someone is breathing diaphragmatically. It is
through observation of the expansion of the belly in relation to the expansion
of the ribcage. When the belly expands slightly and the torso waves slightly,
while the ribcage expands relatively minimally (compared to chest breathing),
it is diaphragmatic. Diaphragmatic breathing, for me, carries the quality of
core power (inherently, without working at it), and is calming to the mind and
body. I tend to think of diaphragmatic breathing as something that occurs
naturally when the obstacles to it are removed. It is the way our bodies are
designed to breathe. Another way of looking at it is that any time the
diaphragm moves with a breath, it has the qualities of the diaphragm, which
make that breath 'diaphragmatic'.
Breathing patterns are very intimately connected to postural patterns. So,
while checking to see if a breath is diaphragmatic is one checkpoint, there are
many other equally telling checkpoints. Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen's book Sensing,
Feeling, Action has a fun section on reading bodies. You might find it helpful
in the work you do giving instruction on breathing to the Taekwondo group.
Richard, I found it curious that when you replied to my question about why it
seems impossible to you to breathe with the diaphragm without resistance, that
you resorted to sourcing articles. I appreciate that, as I found the articles
interesting and educational, but I also wonder why you don't seem to be
referencing your own source - your own bodily experience. I can trust that as
much as an article. So, might I repeat, what is it that you experience when you
try to breathe through the nose without resistance?
I must go and pay attention to other things for a while. Thanks again for the
conversation.
Nina
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