Breathing.

As dancers we need to be aware of how breathing is involved in the whole system of moving, right down to core stability. Many dancers hold their breath and often are not taught how to breathe properly. When we are babies we breathe very naturally, but unfortunately as children many of us learn that to "breathe in" means to suck in the stomach, reversing our pattern of breathing.

"By sucking our stomachs in, we force the air to stay in the top of the lungs, and often overuse the neck muscles to breathe. This is a major cause of neck tension in many people, and can exacerbate conditions such as asthma."
                                                                                                                                  Lisa Howell

• Lie on the floor, one hand resting gently on your upper chest and neck.
• Place the other hand on your diaphragm, where your ribs end, on the top of your stomach.
• Breathe naturally a few times, observing what moves and what doesn't.
• Then take a deep breath, and again observe what areas fill with air first.
• Notice if you are holding any tension in your neck or shoulders.
• Relax, and go back to natural breathing.

Muscles that are designed to be used for breathing are your diaphragm, a dome shaped muscle that sits under your lungs; and the muscles in between your ribs, the intercostals.

• Place one hand on your diaphragm and the other on the side of your ribs.
• Breathe gently in and see if you can expand the chest into both of your hands.
• Keep the breath slow, quiet and deep.
• If you are doing this correctly you should not get breathless.

Many dancers when told to use their stomach muscles, hold on too tightly with their outer abdominals, the obliques. These muscles attach from your ribs down onto your pelvis in a diagonal line. They are important for movement, but if they are gripping excessively the diaphragm and ribcage will not operate normally. This results in breathlessness whilst dancing, and also gives an odd profile (side view) to the dancer's stomach. It can also limit upper back mobility as the ribcage is held forward and down.

The more demanding a class gets, the more advanced technique you are required to master, the more stress is placed on your body. The fundamental building blocks of breathing, core strength, proprioception and knowledge (understanding) must be in place for progress to be made. It is never wasted time to go back over the basics every now and then :)