Flow Breathing and a Path to Peak Mastery – Part 3: Learning Constructive Rest and Beginner Flow Breathing Technique

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If you’ve been eagerly waiting for something to do as you’ve patiently read through the last two articles of theory, the time for action has at last arrived!

By the end of this post you’ll learn about and understand:

Constructive Rest

The phrase may already be familiar. It is F. M. Alexander’s description for lying down in a relaxed restful way but with alert attention to the sensation of being fully present. In other words, not a nap!

Flow Breathing

This is a method of breath control based on the natural breathing cycle with attention paid to changes, or “turns”, in breath direction – from exhale and inhale; from inhale to exhale.

Using these motions of breathing motions as its basis, Flow Breathing becomes the mechanism to achieve advanced control over the breath and leads to advanced techniques for breath support.

Flow Breathing also serves as feedback for any hurtful tension or impatience – a GPS for the body and mind.

Simple Instructions for Constructive Rest

1. Find a place on the floor with enough room to lie down and stretch your arms to either side
2. Put an inch or two (3-5cms) of books where your head will go when you lie down. NB – books, not a pillow
3. Lie on your back with your head on the books perhaps cushioning your body on a rug or yoga mat but most definitely not a bed or couch. Yoga mats are good because they are sticky, preventing the feet from sliding)
4. Place your feet flat on the floor, knees bent
5. Balance your feet and legs in a position of relative neutrality i.e., the place where the least amount of effort is required to keep them from flopping either way
6. Hug your arms across yourself and then relax. You can leave your arms folded across your chest or let them roll out to either side
7. Let yourself be still. Don’t fiddle! Fiddling and noodling come later :-))
8. Sink into whatever position you have found. If you feeling unbalanced, notice it, don’t fix it

Even 5 minutes of this simple practice is beneficial to rounding out your self-awareness.

Flow Breathing is Good Breathing

Permit me to clarify my position right from the start: it is impossible to “invent” good breathing or to claim a “better way” to breathe. We all breathe well. At least until we botch it up with “trying” to learn how!

Flow Breathing simply offers a new way to observe and learn from your natural breathing cycle. Excellent breath control must evolve logically from the breath’s own natural cycles and motions

As I’ve already mentioned, Flow Breathing is based on the natural motions of the breath. These are best examined while in the Constructive Rest practice of the Alexander Technique.

Flow Breathing focuses on the turns of the breath:

• at the bottom of the breath when exhale slows and turns to inhale, and
• at the top of the breath when inhale slows and turns to exhale

The turns of the breath are when the direction of air changes beginning in the top of your air column in your nose airways. Notice your nose!

Flow Breathing can be applied to learn complex breath coordination needed for singing or playing a wind instrument by:

• controlling the top turn (change of direction) of the breath it becomes possible to learn to “support” with buoyancy in the air
• controlling the “top-down-all-at-once” inhale, wind players enhance their ability to inhale quickly as needed

Just as a golfer must follow through on his swing, or a baseball player with his bat, mastery of breath requires following through from exhale to inhale and back around

Flow Breathing for Beginners

The stillness at the end on the exhale may bring with it a pleasant sense of restfulness, of time stopping.

Motion 1

• Notice the pause at the end of the exhale. NB-There is always a pause at the end of the breath in relaxed breathing. You are actually exhaling much longer than you think from the “return to normal” elasticity in the diaphragm
• Stay in the room. To prevent interference with the natural motions of breathing, it is best to focus of your attention at a point somewhere in the room
• Extend the pause at the end of the exhale by extending the stillness which accompanies it

It’s best to do this at first while lying in constructive rest.

Image Credit: Adrian Navarro

Motion 2

Just before the inhale, after you have extended the pause, you will feel an opening or cooling in the nasal passages. This is the beginning of the” top-down-all-at-once” inhale that indeed moves as the name implies!

An inhale is a beautiful thing after a restive pause on the exhale.

This motion is felt as a grand opening which begins in the nose and moves throughout the torso simultaneously from top to bottom. It is important to remain completely relaxed and passive, especially in your head and neck as this motion is felt.

Familiarity with the motions or sensations of these two primary parts of the breath will quickly avail you more advanced use.

Practice noticing the sensations of these two natural motions of breathing for 5-10 minutes a day for 3-4 days. Remember, the method is your breathing, not mine. Your sensations are the basis for all advanced uses of Flow Breathing.

I could explain the scientific motions of breathing til I’m blue in the face and never come close to the beautiful ballet which is breathing!

Perhaps the reader has observed that I have omitted mention of the “turns” of the breath in these exercises. The turns will become apparent after the basic motions have been explored.

My reasoning is thus:

• The bottom turn, although relatively easy, is better scrutinized after first noticing the stillness of the extended exhale
• The top turn in the breath is harder to master. Therefore, I urge you to leave the motion of the top turn aside and remain aware of the luscious “top-down-all-at-once inhale. You will know the turns soon enough.

Suggestion

Carry awareness of the two motions described above into your breath while sitting, standing, walking. The rhythm may be faster but if you concentrate and “stay out of the way” you will find them similar to lying down.

Summary

By letting the cycle of the breath happen naturally, Flow Breathing enables control of the breath, learning from the breath’s own “language of motion”.

The natural motions of Flow Breathing create a deep foundation for advanced breath control.

Flow Breathing also translates unhealthy locked tension into useful fluid tension while frustration, anger and impatience give way to clarity of perspective and your best Path to Peak Mastery.

Articles on this subject will continue in greater depth on my web site David H Thomas, Clarinettist.

In closing, I would like to thank Marion for her incredibly generous attention to detail in helping me revise these posts into a relevant and accessible format!

Would you like to share practice ideas with other musicians? Consider joining the Musician Practice Café on David’s blog The Buzzing Reed.