More on Breathing

I smiled when I read Judy’s post of May 10 on holding your breath. Just days before in an aikido class I had watched a student do a pretty darn good job on a throw. After he finished, I smiled and said, ‘you can breathe now.’ He laughed as he exhaled. It was true – he had held his breath throughout the entire throw. And, as he moved through the throw, the smoothness of his moves slipped away. Tension increased the longer he held his breath and it reflected in his execution of the technique.

Twenty-two years ago, as a beginning aikido student, I visited George Leonard’s dojo in Northern California. Richard Heckler was teaching a class. As we warmed up by rolling around the mat, Richard walked over to me and told me that I was holding my breath. He was right. And, I was totally unconscious of it. I learned a great lesson that day and ever since I am careful to watch my own students and point out when they are holding their breath.

So, I wonder if you have tried Judy’s suggestion to notice how often you are holding your breath? It is a good one. One thing I notice is that if I resolve an issue, I am aware of how much easier I am breathing. A good next step for me would be to begin to notice in the midst of the conflict what my breathing is like. Awareness is the first step for changing a pattern.

Hope you all have a good weekend.

Judy Warner