Feldenkrais Lessons and Breath

In Feldenkrais, we'll never prescribe a specific breath. The breath when you are bearing down might be different from the breath when you are walking or paddling. Different in the morning or in the afternoon. Adapted to when you are being foveal or peripheral. The point is to keep the repertoire open; to have the advantages and disadvantages of various breathing combinations in your mind, somewhere, even if not consciously; to use your breath for a lot more than just exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide; and to remember the pleasure of your breath. Messing with the breath — what I call the mind cluck — is also a wonderful way to refresh your brain. For instance, maybe you have a favored cadence of breath and paddle stroke — great! But I promise you that if you try a different cadence you not only might like it for certain situations, but you'll also find that this differentiation of breath and stroke invites your original pattern to be fresher, more elegant, easier, more effective.