Three-Dimensional and Connected Breathing in Autumn

As the weather transitions from warm and sunny to cold and gray, our bodies require different care techniques to maintain physical, mental, and emotional balance and wellness. Autumn is connected to two organs: the lungs, yin, and the large intestine, yang. The lungs are associated with the emotions sadness and grief, and the large intestines are associated with letting go of emotional and physical waste.

Since autumn is a time of turning inwards compared to the outward expansion of summer, it is essential to set boundaries, organize, communicate your needs, and process your emotions. Nurture your lungs through belly and lateral breathing, bring oxygen rich blood to your organs, aid digestion, and fully eliminate any waste and feelings you have been holding on to all summer. This is a time of introspection, a time to let your body fully relax after the hustle and bustle of summer, and a way to do that is through the techniques of three-dimensional breathing and connected breathing.

Three- Dimensional Breathing

While belly breathing helps prepare your body and organs for the transition from summer to fall, and lateral breathing brings oxygen rich blood to all your organs, supporting digestion, Three-Dimensional Breathing allows your body to fully relax and lean into the contractive nature of autumn. Centering on the lower back, this breathing technique massages the lower back, opens up movement, signals to your adrenals to calm down, and carries oxygen to the kidneys.

Bringing fresh, oxygen rich blood to your kidneys allows them to function properly, and your adrenals will finally have a break after being overstimulated by the expansiveness of summer.

How to Three-Dimensional Breathe

• Lay on your back with your knees up, and press your lower back into the floor

• Inhale, directing your breath to your back, behind the navel, then fill up in all directions, like a balloon

• Try not to flex any muscles- remain relaxed

• Keep inhaling until you feel your ribcage expand, then release

• Repeat this method of breathing until you feel movement in the back, and then begin integrating the back

• To integrate the back, stand with your feet shoulder width apart

• Place your hands on your lower back and try the breathing technique again, and feel the back expanding with your inhale

• Check to make sure your body is still relaxed and that you have not flexed any muscles or tightened any joints

• Then make loose fists with your hands, and knock, or tap, on the lower back, avoiding the spine. Do this for a full minute, then rub the area with your palms or knuckles

• At this time, the area should feel warm due to blood flow

Connected Breathing

The final step in this deep breathing practice is connecting all the techniques: belly, lateral, and three-dimensional breathing, together. Functions of the whole body are physiologically connected, and no organ operates independently. Connecting our breath to these intricate pathways brings the body into harmony by integrating the physical, emotional, and mental aspects of the whole person.

How to Connect your Breath

• Lay on your back on the floor with your knees up

• Breathe into your belly- read our previous blog post Unwinding Your Belly

• Transition into Lateral Breathing- read our previous blog post Lateral Breathing and Immune Support

• Rest for a few breaths, then combine belly and lateral breathing for a few breaths

• After a few repetitions, breathe into your back, expanding against the floor

• Breathe like this, three-dimensionally, for several breaths

• Rest again for a few breaths, then then on your next inhale, combine belly, lateral, and three-dimensional breathing, and fill your abdomen fully

• When the abdomen is full, breathe in even more so your chest expands- this relaxes the ribs, chest, neck, throat, and the upper lobes of lungs are able to fully expand and taken in copious amounts of oxygen

• It is important to remember, at all stages of breathing, to breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. When you exhale, let your chest collapse first, then the ribs, and finally your belly.

• Keep practicing, and pay attention to what you feel within your body as you breathe deeper- note where you feel tension or pain

Practicing belly, lateral, three-dimensional, and connected breathing brings the mind, body, and emotions into a state of awareness and relaxation, and is a way to check-in with yourself and evaluate your state of well being. Autumn provides the opportunity to slow down, to lean into relaxation, and to prepare your body for the months to come. While summer is about moving, making plans, socializing, and taking advantage of every minute, autumn is about you and reconnecting to yourself. Focus on lung and intestinal health, immunity, releasing stored emotions, and relaxing while breathing deeply.

References

“Breathing Exercises For Autumn”. Retrieved from https://fiveseasonshealing.com/breathing-exercise-for-autumn/.

Cavaliere, Stephen and Post, Allison. “Unwinding the Belly: Healing with Gentle Touch”.

Kauffman, Jaime. “What Chinese Medicine Has to Say About Fall”. Retrieved from https://mendacupuncture.com/what-chinese-medicine-has-to-say-about-fall/.

Odell, Megan. “Moving into Autumn with Traditional Chinese Medicine”. Retrieved from https://ncim.org.uk/moving-into-autumn-with-tcm#:~:text=Within%20TCM%2C%20Autumn%20is%20the,to%20weather%20this%20seasonal%20change.

Sonmore, Steven. “Enjoy the Energy of Fall: Autumn and Traditional Chinese Medicine”. Retrieved from https://www.acufinder.com/Acupuncture+Information/Detail/Enjoy+the+Energy+of+Fall+Autumn+and+Traditional+Chinese+Medicine.

Zappin, Benjamin. “Autumn Health Tips from Chinese Medicine”. Retrieved from https://fiveflavorsherbs.com/blog/autumn-health-tips-from-chinese-medicine/.

Lateral Breathing and Immune Support

As we enter Autumn, TCM teaches us that now is the time to turn inward, to finish projects started in summer, to process emotions, and to get our bodies ready for winter. Autumn is associated with the lungs and intestines- the lungs are more susceptible to illness as the weather changes, and the intestines are associated with letting go of stored emotions. By practicing lateral breathing, these organs that are responsible for digestion, elimination, and immune support can be encouraged to function better because they will have room created between them and fresh blood flood to nourish them.

In the heat of the summer, our bodies experience dampness, and eliminating this dampness, especially related to the spleen, is essential to maintain health as our bodies adapt to the season change. Since the spleen fights off colds and infections, which tend to affect the body more in the colder months, supporting the organs responsible for immunity becomes essential to staying healthy. Through lateral breathing, these organs are stimulated with oxygen-rich blood, carrying nutrients directly to them so they perform their best.

What is Lateral Breathing?

Lateral Breathing is a technique used to create more space for blood and oxygen to reach important organs and tissues within the body, going deep to open up spaces that people may not even realize have become constricted. This exercise is so beneficial because it allows the diaphragm to fully expand. If not used properly, like any muscle, the diaphragm can waste away, further limiting the benefits of deep breathing. But, when done right, lateral breathing can bring the diaphragm back to life.

This technique is also beneficial for internal organs like the stomach, spleen, and pancreas, which are tucked up under the rib cage. The gallbladder and liver are close by, and the spaces between each organ are tight. If the rib cage is tight, it can choke out these other organs that digest and metabolize food for energy. By breathing to fully expand the diaphragm, the ribs are opened up, creating more space around the organs, which allows more oxygen rich blood to flow into those organs.

How to Lateral Breathe

• Lie on your back on a flat surface and bring your knees up (keeping your knees up is crucial). If your knees are down, the diaphragm will be constricted in such a way that it will be unable to fully expand, which is the whole intention behind lateral breathing

• Place your left hand on the left side of your belly, covering your ribs, and hold firmly

• Begin to breathe down into the belly, like in Belly Breathing, but this time direct your breath to expand the left side out, or laterally. Use your hand as a guide as to how much that area expands

• This exercise goes deeper than just feeling your lungs expand and ribs rise and fall, you want to feel the relaxed muscles of the ribs rising and falling due to the internal pressure of the breath.

• This area of expansion might not have been used for some time, so this technique takes practice

• It is important to take in more air than usual

• Repeat the same process on the right side

• Full Lateral Breathing is a combination of left and right breathing, and requires even more air intake. As you practice, keep holding the left and right sides to feel which area is tighter, or if it is difficult, remain calm while breathing.

Reconnecting with your Intestines

The intestines are 5+ feet of winding tissue that process food waste, and in all the twists and turns, waste can get stuck and stored. The intestines also are intrinsically connected to stress and emotions, and so it is important to allow this organ to relax, which can be done through lateral breathing. Becoming physically stressed or emotionally upset can cause your breathing to stem from the chest instead of downward into the lower ribcage and diaphragm. This constricts the twists and bends of the intestines and colon, making it very difficult to have a smooth bowel movement.

By laterally breathing with the unwinding technique, the twists and bends of the intestines and colon soften and unravel, allowing for stored materials to pass through and be eliminated from the body. Relaxing the intestines and colon is a direct way of processing emotions and stress.

Using Lateral Breathing to Connect to the Intestines

• Lie on a comfortable surface with your knees up, and keep your shoulders and elbows relaxed, with your left elbow on the floor

• Find the soft place between the bottom of the left rib cage and the top of the left hip bone

• With both hands, alternately use your fingers to gently press into your skin, massaging and loosening the area

• Move down towards the pubis, but not as low as below the navel

• Repeat the same thing on the right side, starting below the right rib cage

• After the area below the right rib cage is loose, work across the center to the left rib, and down to the left hip again

• Now place your hands at a spot halfway between your right hip and navel, and massage until you feel it loosen

• Then, connect all areas by moving from the lower right side, up to the right rib, across, down the left side towards the left hip and pelvis. Repeat as many times as it takes to feel the muscles loosen

• This technique can be uncomfortable at first, particularly on the right side, but as you continue to unwind, it should become more comfortable

Stimulating the Digestive Organs

Lateral breathing can help make contact with the digestive organs that are tucked deep internally underneath the rib cage. Though they are too deep to make direct contact with, they can be stimulated internally by the diaphragm. This encourages the delivery of oxygen rich blood to these organs, expands the space between organs, eliminates waste and emotions, and makes room for supportive nutrients to be delivered in the fresh blood. The enhanced blood flow stimulates digestive and immune functions within your body.

Using Lateral Breathing to Stimulate the Digestive Organs

• Starting on the left side, place your left hand on the left rib cage, and use all 4 fingers of the right hand to massage the area just below the ribs, just left of the center

• Work the area for a while to really feel if there is any pain or discomfort

• Move your hand all along from the bottom of the breastbone down to the last rib on the side. This area will feel similar to the area worked for the intestinal and colon lateral breathing, but this technique goes deeper to work the stomach, spleen, and pancreas

• After a big breath, on the exhale, sneak your fingers up under the ribs and hold them there. Then, inhale and feel the ribs expand outwards. Exhale again, keeping your fingers in the same spot. Repeat this several times

• Next, without pressing on the ribs, move your fingers downward to coax the tissue towards the navel, and repeat this until you feel the rib tissue soften

• Repeat this technique on the right side to contact and clear the liver and gallbladder

• Pay attention to how the tissue and skin feels, if there is pain or discomfort, and be gentle with yourself. Pay attention as well to how other parts of your body react, or if you feel any surges of energy anywhere

Resources

Cavaliere, Stephen and Post, Allison. “Unwinding the Belly: Healing with Gentle Touch.”

Odell, Megan. “Moving into Autumn with Traditional Chinese Medicine”. Retrieved from https://ncim.org.uk/moving-into-autumn-with-tcm#:~:text=Within%20TCM%2C%20Autumn%20is%20the,to%20weather%20this%20seasonal%20change.

Sonmore, Steven. “Enjoy the Energy of Fall: Autumn and Traditional Chinese Medicine”. Retrieved from https://www.acufinder.com/Acupuncture+Information/Detail/Enjoy+the+Energy+of+Fall+Autumn+and+Traditional+Chinese+Medicine.

“TCM: Understanding The Role Of The Lungs”. Retrieved from https://www.euyansang.com.sg/en/tcm%3A-understanding-the-role-of-the-lungs/eystcmorgans4.html.

“How to Nutritionally Adapt to the 3 Stages of Fall With Traditional Chinese Medicine”. Retrieved from https://www.eacuwell.com/blog/traditional-chinese-medicine-stages-of-fall.

Unwinding Your Belly

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, summer is the season between the expansive yang energy of spring, and the inward yin energy of fall and winter. There are a few weeks at the end of August and the beginning of September where we are in what TCM calls late summer or “Indian summer”. This season is all about grounding yourself and digesting or processing your emotions. Emotions often have a physiological effect on the body and can be felt in the belly. The term “go with your gut” implies that intuition can be determined by feelings in the gut, and there is deep truth to this phrase. In “Unwinding the Belly: Healing with Gentle Touch”, Allison Post and Stephen Cavaliere discuss the effects breathing from the belly have on processing and understanding emotions. Late summer is the perfect time of the year to learn these techniques to support the body as the seasons change.

The spleen, stomach, and pancreas are associated with late summer, and there are many ways to support these organs. This includes: proper diet, maintaining balance, exercise, and breathing. Post and Cavaliere also suggest that there is a connection between the belly organs and intuition, and that the notion of intuition is, in a sense, the recognition of emotions and external stimuli felt within the belly. They encourage the following ideas:

• Listen to your body. Since late summer is the time before fall where energy turns inward, now is the time to begin the process of turning inward and processing your emotions.

• The center is essential with health, both emotional and physical, because the center houses the organs responsible for absorption and transportation of nutrients and feelings.

• It is important to nourish our bodies the best we can so that our organs can function their best and so that we feel our best.

• Understanding when the body is responding negatively to an improper diet and then changing your diet to better suit the body is the beginning of reconnecting to our center.

• Emotions are the connection between the brain and gut. The belly digests emotions as well as food and can be either nourished or damaged by what lies there.

• Emotions that we feel in our stomach- butterflies are excitement or anticipation, heartbreak is heartache, fear is felt as the rapid beating of the heart or the desire to urinate, worry eats at the stomach, and jealousy wastes the liver.

• If unresolved negative emotions are held inside too long without resolution, internal tissues, muscles, and fascia become stiff and blocked, inhibiting these organs from functioning their best.

• Unresolved emotions can cause stress, high blood pressure, and even the hardening of arteries.

• Positive feelings like excitement, joy, love, and happiness are also felt within the belly.

• The initial attempt to alter emotions is to change our thoughts, but you can not think feelings away, you have to feel them.

• Exercise the core to strengthen the core.

Post and Caveliere also teach the benefits of breathing from the belly, and how when we hold emotions in, we tend to constrict our breathing as well. Opening up our breathing, breathing fully and deeply, and feeling the belly expand brings all the feelings stored there to the forefront. They believe that changing the way we breathe is another way to reconnect to our core and the benefits are vast.

In her experience, whenever Allison Post met with a patient who was experiencing difficulties with digestion, movement, connecting with her body or emotion, or with healing, there was also an issue with the way the patient was breathing.

• Bringing simple awareness to your belly and how it feels immediately relieves tension and stress.

• Imagine constricting air flow and panting through life, and then imagine allowing yourself a strong and healthy air flow. Breathing is synonymous to living.

• Inhibiting breath is learned, and relearning how to breath is an essential step towards becoming comfortable in your body again.

• Breathing from the belly increases pressure below the diaphragm, creating a vacuum in the lung cavities. This causes air to rush to fill the void, providing ample oxygen.

• Panic breath occurs when the diaphragm is pulled upwards on the inhale, creating a weaker vacuum, filling just the top part of the lungs, allowing insufficient oxygen.

• Using touch is a technique to learn the feel of your belly and the points of tension or where you have difficulty filling with breath.

• The circuit of healing: stimulating the skin accesses subtle energies within the body. The nerves in the skin contain information about the internal stress levels of the body. This information is sent from the fingers to the areas of the brain that process these internal levels. Gentle touch creates a feedback loop between the body and the brain.

• Give yourself time to learn your body, rushing it can break the circuit.

• Delve deeper and stimulate the abdominal lymph nodes. Place your hands to the side of the navel and feel the vertical creases that lie on each side of the torso. Gently press deeper to stimulate the lymph nodes, all the while breathing deeply.

• Stimulating this spot releases waste stored in the nodes, working like a filtration process.

How to belly breathe:

• Lie on your back with your knees up, either on your bed or the floor. Make sure your knees are elevated, but not being supported by the hips.

• First, draw attention to the way you are currently breathing. Are your breaths deep or shallow, do they flow or get stuck in your throat?

• Next, bring your attention to your spine, and connect your breathing to the way your back feels on the floor.

• Then, place your hands on your belly, index fingers pointing towards each other, but keep your elbows on the floor. Inhale and feel your belly rise against your hands, then exhale and feel your hands gently fall.

• Attempt with each inhale to breathe in more air, and feel the expansion from your hips to your rib cage. Try to inhale and exhale without expanding the chest.

• Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth.

In these days between the busy and the slow, take the time to reconnect with your core, breathe deeply, and let yourself feel everything you have been holding inside. Feed your body the proper nutrition to allow proper digestion of both nutrients and emotions. The better you feel physically, the easier it will be to process your emotions. Try bringing attention to your breathing, and see what awareness comes to the forefront of your consciousness to allow yourself to heal.

References

Cavaliere, Stephen and Post, Allison. “Unwinding the Belly: Healing with Gentle Touch.”

Pulsifer, Jeremy. “Late Summer: The Fifth Season”. Retrieved from https://www.yinovacenter.com/blog/late-summer-the-5th-season/.

“Eat with the Seasons: Late Summer”. Retrieved from https://fiveseasonstcm.com/blogs/traditional-chinese-medicine-101/eat-with-the-seasons-late-summer.

“Late-Summer Health: The Chinese Medicine & Taoist Way”. Retrieved from https://www.wuweiwisdom.com/late-summer-health-tcm-taoist-tips/