Thankfully, remembering to breathe doesn’t have to be on our daily ‘to do’ list, or scheduled in our phones with a reminder alongside other chores; ‘10am groceries. 10.30am breathe ‘
Our day would be fraught with mundane chores interspersed with life-sustaining actions. I mean, imagine if you forgot.
Whilst I am very grateful for evolution to have taken this responsibility away from me, there is a trade-off. Having something of such critical importance happen without any conscious thought tends to relegate it to the pile of low priority. The casual disregard for how we bring life affirming Oxygen into the body and rid it of toxic CO2 is damaging our health, the way we move our bodies and the way we sit and function in the saddle.
Sound dramatic? That’s because it is.
Eons ago, humans evolved to be predatory bipeds. Our ancestors were expected to hunt and gather; moving their bodies all day every day, performing all manner of movements; lifting, pulling, pushing, dragging, squatting, running, walking, climbing, hanging. To do this the body needed to be strong, flexible and well fed with oxygen from fully inflated lungs. We are still in bodies that are designed to do all of those things, and biomechanically we haven’t changed at all.
Humans are designed to have a long, strong torso. The ribcage and abdomen should create a strong cylinder that supports the spine and enables the limbs to work independently. This is influenced purely by the mechanic of breathing.
The Mechanics of Breathing
‘…the skeleton is only able to do everything it is capable of if the lungs are inflated to their capacity…’
Read that again. Your limbs will only be independent when you have a fully expanded ribcage. Learning how to inhale to fully fill the lungs and to exhale by maintaining the expansion of the ribcage, will be of paramount importance to the way you are able to sit and function on your horse.
We all know that breathing has a physiological component, but it is the mechanics of inhalation and exhalation that are the most relevant for riders to understand. Once we realise the impact on the body that correct breathing has, it is transformative for health, movement and riding.
Breathing In; Inhalation
With every inhalation, the purpose is for the body to receive as much O2 as possible. For this to happen, the rib cage needs to expand and move away from centre to allow the lungs to inflate.
One of the most primal processes in the body is the function of the diaphragm; this is a large sheet of muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen, sitting below the rib cage. In a resting position, the diaphragm sits in a small dome shape (see pic 1).
Diagram from teachpe.com
To allow air into the lungs the diaphragm contracts. This flattens its’ shape and creates a space for the lungs to move down into. The ribcage should be lifted as high and wide as possible to allow the lungs maximum space to inflate inside this protective cage. This expansion also provides essential traction to the vertebrae, helping to stabilise the spine.
When the body is in full inhalation, with fully inflated lungs, the torso is at its strongest. It is here that the appendicular skeleton (limbs) can operate independently, where the spine is well supported due to an increase of intervertebral space and muscular recruitment, and it is the time when all the tissues are receiving the oxygen they need to keep functioning.
The aim should be that this posture is maintained for as long as possible, which means the torso is kept in expansion during exhalation as well.
Breathing Out; Exhalation
For air to leave the lungs, the diaphragm returns to its relaxed, domed posture which helps to force air out of the lungs. This action is controlled by a contraction of certain muscles. These muscles are responsible for allowing the diaphragm to relax, but they should also be active in controlling the speed at which this happens. Correct exhalation involves maintaining the height and expansion of the rib cage for as long as possible, and this is done by controlling how much air leaves the lungs at any one time. It is similar to blowing into a small straw. By recruiting muscles to control exhalation spinal length is maintained, which is essential to function and effectiveness in the saddle.
Unfortunately, the compressive postures common to modern living mean that the lungs are very rarely fully inflated, the diaphragm slumps quickly, and the muscles in charge of it are weak because they are never engaged. This means that the torso is not in expansion for long, if at all. The spine is constantly compressed and the relationship with the pelvis and hips is disrupted. Ultimately, the spine ends up taking on the role of the hip joints; that is to absorb the pressure of gravity, leaving you with a sore back and hips that don’t move!
You might find yourself seeking treatment for these symptoms, not knowing that it all began with the way you were breathing.
Impact for Riders
We now know that in order to be strong and stable through the torso (a requirement when riding), we have to be able to fully expand the lungs. This allows the limbs to work independently from the spine/rib cage and it allows us to be in better balance over the horse.
Breathing out correctly is also crucial to the rider. There is a reason that some trainers encourage you to breathe out for downward transitions, so that you can increase your horses’ connection. Why ? Once you control an out breath you should feel why; you are now holding your own weight within your body. You have increased the stability of your position as you are maintaining the expansion of the torso, your spine is open and supported which enables your pelvis and hips to have more synchronicity with your horse. When you are in a more balanced seat, your horse is able to balance himself more correctly.
EXPANSION BREATHING- How To
Recommendation; 3-5 reps of expansion breathing 3 x daily. More if possible!
Benefits
I have met very few people who breathe at their optimum, but for riders, being able to tap into the ability to breathe correctly is a massive secret weapon and here are a few of the benefits:
- lowers heart rate for you and your horse
- By exhaling correctly you recruit trunk stabilising muscles, which will control downward transitions.
- Muscles can work longer and more effectively with better oxygen supply
- Expanding the ribcage to inhale improves upper body posture and the connection of spine, pelvis and hips.
- Correct breathing maintains a long and strong torso which is essential for balance, independent aids and synchronicity with your horse
- Helps digestion, organ function and reduction of pain
Technique
Standing with feet hip width apart in neutral spine and back of the head lifted. Rock your weight back over your heels, and have a very small bend in the knee (soft knees).
Place your little finger on the top of your pelvis and your thumb touching your bottom rib.
To INHALE: Take a deep breath in and increase the space between your thumb and little finger. The rib cage should rise as the diaphragm flattens to allow the lungs to expand and to draw air in.
Your shoulders shouldn’t move, the movement should come purely from the ribs. Imagine that you are filling the lower back lobes of your lungs
Try and breathe in to a count of 5.
To EXHALE: Squeeze the abdomen inwards and try to let the air out of the lungs in incremental bits whilst keeping the rib cage lifted. You want to think about releasing the air from the top to the bottom of the lungs bit by bit. By doing this you will engage the muscles that will keep the torso in expansion for a beneficial amount of time. Try to breathe out for as long as you can. If you can breathe out to a count of 8 or 9 (or more if possible) you will start to strengthen the muscles of the trunk.
Practice off-horse first, you may experience some slight light headedness initially, but persevere and this should resolve.
Once you have done a few breaths on the ground, do it next time you are riding. Practice controlling your exhalation as you ask for a downward transition and see how you both feel.
‘…impeded breathing short changes everything else…disrupts the functions of the organs, slows metabolism, creates chronic pain and upsets digestion…’
When you consider on average, we all take 23000-25000 breaths every day, there is a lot of opportunity to improve our health, function and effectiveness in the saddle.
Knowing how to breathe correctly might well be the best thing you can do for your body!