A Journey Begins

Welcome to BREATH is the ANSWER! A journey begins this day with posting number one. Forward and up and on to explore what delights, what intrigues, what scares us. An adventure in exploring what changes and what remains the same. Does anything ever remain the same? Would we want it to? Thoughts contained here will be one step in my adventure to share thoughts about breath, the Alexander Technique, day to day stuff, as I see it, sometimes serious, sometimes not, but hopefully in some sense entertaining and maybe even informative from time to time.

To start, here’s a quote from Jessica Wolf, Alexander Technique teacher and founder of the Art of Breathing. This particular thought brings my attention and awareness to the importance of the coordination of breathing and the use of our physical, mental and emotional selves. She says:

I often ask myself if efficient breathing begins with dynamic alignment, or if balance and coordination rely on efficient breathing? Wherever you begin, developing a kinesthetic awareness of breath is vital for life.

As F. M. Alexander believed, the whole system is interrelated and we cannot affect one part without affecting another and thus the whole. Breath IS the answer! A baby’s first cry is the start of the breath cycle which continues until we breathe our last breath. Most people continue to go about daily lives in spite of the fact that most spend considerable time just holding their breath. Think what would happen if we all became kinesthetically aware of the breath-holding and actually stopped that habit. Imagine how not holding the breath, alone, would affect the rhythm of our lives!