What do PTSD, chronic shoulder pain, and hating to run have in common?

These are all signs you cannot breathe.

Or at last are not breathing as well as you could.

For example, historically, on the rare occasions when I have been made to run or had to sprint for a bus it's been a mess. I'm talking heart-tearing-at-its-tendons-gasping-for-air-metal-taste-in-your-mouth-pain-shooting-from-your-ankles-through-your-back mess.

This being the case, you might imagine the massive confusion I felt when my body started to want to run. You might also imagine the surprised delight when I was able to run 1/2 a mile (a huge stretch for me) without stopping or feeling like death!

I'd done no training. I hadn't done anything to increase my lung capacity. What I had done?

As part of my pelvic floor rehab, I began addressing the dysfunctions that existed within my intrinsic core.

"Core" is a part of the body that can seem super broad or very limited depending on the school of thought you're following. For our purposes, when I mention the intrinsic core I am referencing a subsystem of muscles comprised of the respiratory diaphragm, transverse abdominis, multifidus, and pelvic floor. These four muscles are the prime movers in breath. If there is dysfunction in one of them or in how they perform together, your breath will not be as effective as it could be translating to less efficient oxygen transmission to the rest of your body.

It is likely that if there is dysfunction in your breath it is something that is barely noticeable or that you have just chalked up to “the way it is.” If there is a major dysfunction in your breathing apparatus, you should seek medical intervention immediately - you'll know because you can't breathe. Since you are probably (hopefully) not asphyxiating right now, some clues you may be working with less than optimal breathing are

• Dreading aerobic exercise

• Needing more than a minute or two to catch your breath after exercise

• Feeling winded or short of breath after walking up stairs

• Difficulty projecting when speaking or singing

• Difficulty holding notes when singing

• Shallow breathing

• Chest breathing

• Inability or difficulty connecting to sensations in your pelvis

• Pain with sex or sexual dysfunctions

• Incontinence

• Hip pain

• Low back pain

• Chest or shoulder pain

• Neck pain

• Chronic or recurrent TMJ symptoms

• PTSD or a history of trauma

How many of those boxes did you check off? Were any of those signs surprising to you? The list is so varied because breath literally impacts every element of our lives.

Taking steps to improve the function and health of your intrinsic core can take a multitude of forms. As a pelvic specialist, I work with breath function on multiple levels through bodywork and massage (feel free to call me if you would like to learn more :-D ). But the simplest, most immediate step you can take to start optimizing your breath is to, well, breathe.

1. Find a comfortable place to lay

2. Imagine the trunk of your body is a cup, the pelvic floor creating the base of your cup and above your collar bones as the rim

3. On your inhale pull the breath all the way down into your pelvis first, filling your cup as you continue to breathe in until you hit the rim of your glass at the top of your head

4. Try to feel the expansion in your body as a 360 degree movement, not just something that pushes the front

5. On exhale, release the breath from the top down as if you were emptying a cup of water, feeling 360 collapse descending down through your pelvis

6. Repeat this deep breath 3-5 times

Practicing this exercise may feel difficult at first. Notice how that evolves over time as your neural pathways between the muscles and your brain reorganize to support the new breath you are creating. Add precision to this movement by placing your hands over the section into which you are attempting to move the air, feeling your hand move as your breath enters or exits the space.

Increase the difficulty by taking the time to notice the sensations in each area of your trunk it fills with air. Are there places that are harder for you to sense? Pay the most attention to those.

Once you feel comfortable breathing in this way for longer periods, move into a seated position and later go to standing to further fine tune your breathing abilities.