Breathing & Coordination

Awareness Yields Choices

Last week while practicing different moves while balanced I was feeling awkward.  The movements we were doing required strength and coordination, we were executing them slowly which is even more demanding. Suddenly I realized I wasn’t breathing.  Holding the breath stunts coordination.

How often do we attempt to do something that we perceive as difficult and hold our breath? Okay, wind, brass, and singers are breathing to create sound, but they also get to these challenges and brace hoping to execute the phrase, the rhythm, or the interval successfully.  I did this for so many years. The habit led to me feeling unsure of my abilities which contributed to performance anxiety.

Back to the movement practice, when I realized I was holding my breath to execute I decided to breathe through the movement and you know what, it was easier and more fluid.  This was a little reminder that coordination is dependent on good breathing.  I was also happy to actually recognize this in the moment, it gave me choices.

Breathing well as we practice and perform influences how we play.  I highly recommend practicing breathing.  Yes, practicing breathing, more specifically how to regulate airflow.  Without a clear idea of this, there is a good chance you are setting up tension patterns that limit everything.

How can you practice breathing?

I like to explore it away from my flute just as much as I practice it in my playing.

Away from your instrument, intentionally inhale, exhale, or just respirate as you do exert.  For example, as I do a bicep curl with a weight I practice making the movement in each of the three ways, as I inhale, as I exhale and as I simply breathe or respirate.  What do you notice?  Does one way of breathing make the exertion easier?  What does this exploration do if you lift something heavy from the ground or perform a precise movement like drawing a straight line free-hand or balance on one foot on a 2x4?

This is all information and practice that you can bring back into your playing.  When you approach the challenge in the music you can make the choice to breathe efficiently to support the coordination it takes to execute it.

Practice breathing….

Be curious!