Whole Body Breathing Theory

Whole Body Breathing (WBB)

The First 20 Minute Overview

This was the first public live/video presentation of the theory. Though it is missing some major aspects (that are available on this same page) it is a good starting point.

Physical Correction

Emotional / Energetic Correction

Internal Chemistry and Systems

The internal chemistry of the body is affected by the breathing, and the breathing in turn affects the chemistry of the body. This goes into influencing the function of all of the organ and fluid systems of the body as well.

Esoteric Elements

Whole Body Breathing does overlap with theories like Chakras, Qi Gong, Chi, Shamanic Armouring, Hatha / Many Yogic Disciplines, Energy Work, Reiki, Law of Attraction, Advaita Vedanta, Taoism and more.

Your body has good and bad tension in it.

Good tension gives good posture, good movement, good emotions, and good breathing

Bad tension gives bad posture, bad movement, bad emotions, and bad breathing

When the body has built good tension and released bad tension, it has Healthy Tensegrity

Unhealthy Tensegrity

Unhealthy/Unattractive Body+Face

Crooked Teeth, Poor Bite, TMD

Narrow Airways and OSA

Poor Posture

Spine and Joint Pain

Poor Athletics and Frequent Injury

Anxieties, Depressions, Addictions

Dorsal Vagal/Sympathetic

Repeating Life Patterns / Stagnation

Compensated Breathing

Healthy Tensegrity

Healthy / Attractive Body and Face

Aligned Teeth, Bite, and Jaws

Open Nose and Throat Airway

Upright posture

Aligned Spine and Joints

Strong athletics and resilience

Clearer Perception and Mood

Ventral Vagal/Parasympathetic

New Life Patterns and Flow

Whole Body Breathing

Good tension is built through exercise and meditation

Bad tension is released through exercise and meditation

The Main Exercise and Meditation is Breathing through all 7 Diaphragms and the 2 Fascial Lines

There are seven main diaphragms in the body which all expand on the inhale. These diaphragms interface with each other via the fascial lines and fascial web.

The Seven Diaphragms, from top to bottom, are:

The Scalp

The Main Head Diaphragm

The Lower Jaw

Thoracic Inlet

Main Respiratory Diaphragm

Pelvic Diaphragm

Feet

These diaphragms connect, interface, and interact through the entire fascial network, but especially through the fascial lines.

Where fascia is densest, small impulses can induce large movements. The fascia is densest in the meninges (spine and brain coating), the diaphragms, and along the fascial lines.

The fascial lines can be separated into two categories of lines whose interplay is responsible for the tensegrity of the body - the Soft Inner and Hard Outer. The lines balance eachother out, and the diaphragms sit between them. As the entire tensegrity mesh merges into parts of eachother, these lines do not exactly line up with anatomy trains lines nor are they rigid. For example, the soft inner line of the leg goes through the psoas to merge with the hard outer line surrounding the spine - and yet the soft inner continues up via the linea alba and sternum.

There are specific structures within the Whole Body Breathing definition that constitute the central fascial line for soft inner and hard outer, but it is important to note that all of the surrounding structures will also be recruited into their movements.

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This is a 3D Model with animation. You can zoom in and rotate to see the breathing motion, diaphragms and the inner/outer lines.

The bones within these regions are part of the diaphragm structure, and the rhythmic expansion and contraction of the structure is key to inducing and allowing growth. See Alt-Ramec.

See

7 Diaphragms and 2 Lines

There is an as-above-so-below relationship between the head and torso, where the three diaphragms of the torso correspond to the three diaphragms of the head. The shoulder/thoracic inlet diaphragm, as a transition point, mirrors the feet as the main anchorage which the diaphragms above can tug on in order to expand.

The mirroring is as follows:

Scalp/Thoracic Inlet

Main Head Diaphragm/Main Respiratory Diaphragm

Lower Jaw / Pelvic Floor

The diaphragms will all interact with each other and tug on each-other via the fascial lines.

A Whole Body Breath:

The inhale is driven by an impulse deep in the being, which first manifests as an increased pressure within the cerebrospinal fluid.

The increased cerebrospinal fluid pressure causes an expansion of the meninges, skull and spine (and increases in space between vertebrae and joints).

This expansion drives an opening of all seven diaphragms

There is a positive feedback loop where the diaphragms open each other, and the increased pressure within the body against the spine and skull then drives increased CSF pressure, which further drives the inhale. See The Breath Drives the CranioSacral Rythme

Every muscle and tendon in the body is recruited into the inhale. This is the most effective way to inhale - a slight tensioning across the system to open everything up. This continues until the body reaches a point of maximum expansion, which will depend on the level of structural growth and compensation patterns present. The exhale is then the same process in reverse.

This rhythmic expansion and contraction opens up the diaphragms/structure. The body grows using this steady rhythm of fluid and structure expansion/pressure and contraction until it reaches its ideal sizes and ratios.

The same process happens in reverse o the inhale, with simultaneous drops in body expansion and CSF fluid pressure

An Important Note: Thinking that you feel something is not part of Whole Body Breathing. Yes, initially sensation may be vague and subtle, just on the edge of perception. You must confirm, beyond doubt, what the actual sensation is.

An important definition to keep in your understanding and experience:

ten·seg·ri·ty

noun: tensegrity

the characteristic property of a stable three-dimensional structure consisting of members under tension that are contiguous and members under compression that are not.”tensegrity construction”

It is also important that you understand the anatomical concept of fascia. Fascia is the structural network of your body, interweaving and joining into the bones, tendons, ligaments, muscles, and organs. Indeed, we can extend the structural understanding down into the cells and up into the skin and beyond. Fascia transfers force and information.

In the Introduction to Whole Body Breathing training, we explored improper fascial constrictions and how to release them. That knowledge and experience needs to continue to be cultivated even as you move into CORE Correction of Reticulating Elements training. There is a proper reticulating web of fascia in the body that allows for healthy form, function, and which can be noticed to provide the tensioning to pull the body / diaphragms open on each inhale. The goal of CORE training is to have you identify this proper fascial tensioning network and perform exercises / meditations to strengthen these proper connections. It will pull you back into form, and make releasing of improper patterns more powerful.