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MY BREATHING SYSTEM

beginncrs to assist with the hands in the following manner : Takc tbem away from the hips and lay the palms agair.st the lower part of the chcst, the thumbs pointing upwards. A pressure, becoming graclually morę severe, should then be cxerted obliąuely inwards against the lower ribs, thereby bringing them nearer to each other.

Abdominal action in complete exhalation will takc place quite unconsciously, as it was in the corrcsponding part of the complete inhalation. Any spccial, intentional move-ment of the abdominal wali is also incorrect here. If it is drawn inwards (Fig. 44), it will prevent the lower ribs from being fully contracted which hindrance to a complete exhala-tion will not be counter-balanced to any extent by the assistance given to the asccnt of the diaphragm through the upward pressure of the \ iscera because only the lower lobes of the lungs are emptied by this action, whcrcas both the lower and middle lobes will be emptied by fuli contraction of the ribs.

The intentional distention of the abdomen (Fig. 12) forms also a check to the complete exhalation because it fixes the ribs, and it is a quite unnecessary strain which should be omitted, because “ my complete breath ” should be in the naturę of a relief. It is quite another matter that the re-laxcd abdomen will naturally and involuntarily protrude in a statc of softness when the lower ribs are much contracted.

Fig. 14 gives a front vicw and Fig. t6 a side view of the correct pose for cxhalation. Xote the great difference bctwccn the positions of the lower ribs, and the difterent distances from the nipples to the navel, in Figs. 13 and 14 respcctivcly. Fig. 18 shows the correct position of the palms when assisting in the last part of the complete exhah-tion.

I have sludied scores of booklets, most of them Conti-nental, describing htmdrcds of various methods of breathing.

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