Breathing should be a fairly straight forward activity, after all you can do it in your sleep. The term to 'take a deep breath' is misleading. What do you do when you think about taking a deep breath? Many puff out the chest and suck in the air through the nostrils. Both of these actions do nothing to help the air flow in! Closing down the nostrils restricts the intake whilst puffing out the chest pushes the ribcage into a position that does not allow for natural expansion.

So in place of taking a deep breath just allow the air to move in and out of your nose. If you are poised, as the lungs inflate the incoming air will gently push the ribs out and up slightly. Once the movement of your ribs has stretched the surrounding muscles to a certain length, the stretch reflex will contract them and close the ribs and push the air back out.

If you are stressed, the increased muscular tension in the neck, shoulders and torso will prevent free movement of the ribs your shoulders may have to lift in order to get enough air.

Holding your breathe is another bad habit we learn when trying to concentrate or again during times of stress. If you can learn to maintain your composure and prevent unnecessary tension, natural breathing will take care of itself.



Exercises that encourage deep breathing or controlling the in or out flow of air may be harming what should be a natural function. If you are not breathing properly it is usually due to factors that are beyond direct control, such as your posture or poor coordination. Have a look at one of our alternative breathing activities that do not focus on trying to do it but rather allowing it to happen naturally.

Improve your posture without exercise
The biggest influence on how your breathe is your posture. How you maintain position will influence how you breathe. Inappropriate muscular activity will fix the ribs and prevent natural movement. But posture is not something you improve by trying harder. My program will show you how let your body's in-built reflexes balance your body with minimal effort to allow your ribs to move.

Can exercises improve posture?
There are many posture exercises to improve your shape yet you do not get good posture by doing exercises that work on individual muscles. Your body works as a whole and is not helped by targeting muscles with specially designed exercises.

How to get your poise back
Poise is something you either have or your don't at any time, there is not halfway. Poise is an ability to use minimal muscular effort to maintain balance or move. We have it from an early age but many lose it due to spending hours at desks or in cars. Stress is also a contributory factor in losing our poise.

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The Alexander Technique helps to promote natural function
The majority of adults unknowingly develop poor habits that impede natural functions such as respiration, balance, movement, digestion and circulation. Yet many have still not heard of it or mistakenly believe it is about posture. This remarkable system can help you to firstly recognise these habits and then allow you to change them.

Are core stability exercises the answer?
Due to the current popularity of core strengthening exercise it would seem to be the answer to all our problems. However, the are a number of therapists and sports scientists who are questioning the principles of these methods. I believe performing repetitions of these exercises may actually destroy our natural coordination and consequently harm your natural functions.

Biomechanics and respiration
Are you biomechanically efficient? How would you know? Can it effect my respiration? Try my instant biomechanics test and find out for yourself.

Want to ask a question? My view of what fitness means and how it can be attained is different to the conventional approach. If there is anything on this page that you would like to follow up please feel free to contact me