Breathing in 3 Dimensions

 I was hanging out with my best friend earlier today and as it often does, the topic of kung fu came up in conversation. I stared explaining how we are taught to breathe deep into our stomachs, stretching our diaphragm downwards, and focusing on drawing the breath to our bellybuttons. Surprisingly she instantly knew exactly what I was talking about. She went on to explain how that is the same way they are taught to breathe in the choir she's in. I always thought we had two very different hobbies but I'm learning that there is more overlap than I expected. (just the other day we were talking about how we both had "warm-ups" before classes and were giggling over the differences entailed in each).

She then went on to explain that during some of their practices their choir teacher (musical sifu, my brain filled in) would have them lie down and try to focus on breathing through their back, or out their sides, through just the ribs and it kind of blew my mind! I realized I have only ever thought about breathing in terms of "up or down", either I'm breathing up high (too shallow, all up in my chest), or lower (down into my stomach) but this made me try to visualize my breath in 3 dimensional space. There were two whole other axis I was not paying attention to! 

Now I'm not saying I'm going to try to be breathing out of my back during classes, but I think I'm going to try to change my intent to think of my breath as an expansion (and contraction) rather than just lower down into my abdomen along a single plain. 

Very unexpected source of discovery, but just re-enforces the idea that kung fu exists in so many different places outside of the kwoon. 

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