Functional Breathing: Learn from the jellyfish
“I don't have to have faith, I have experience.”
― Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth
What is the aim of your practice? And how do you get “better”? My teacher would say, “get on your mat, open your channels, and get out of there.”
She steered me away from the “more is better” narrative as well as exercise/calisthenics/gynmastics so I could sense something different: the subtle body. She wanted to refine my palate for more than the hot sauce of stretch and sensation, she encouraged me to savor satisfaction and embrace the sweetness of enough.
It took years to slow down, dive deep, and develop that level of inner awareness. But the journey has been well worth it. The trust in enough has taken root and spread like wildflowers.
We’ve been practicing “just enough” in the 20 minute miracles. If you’ve missed live classes, they’re stored in your virtual library. Like everything at Kanda, you’re learning in layers. Building and evolving during the series.
To honor the life force, we began the series with the breath and have returned again and again to the image of a jellyfish. With functional breathing, the respiratory diaphragm pulses with a cadence similar to a jellyfish and the pelvic floor diaphragm follows in tandem. Visual aids below. More on the respiratory diaphragm here: Diaphragm Diorama with Jill Miller.
As you coast into the holidays, practice enough. Not too little. Not too much. Just enough to stay clear, connected and centered.
May your practice bring enough,
Alison
