A FULCRUM FOR RE-INSPIRATION
During recent days, with mask-wearing and most of us living with a restricted ‘range of motion’ in our social lives, in our bodies, and a layer of anxiety this unusual time evokes, we find ourselves not breathing fully. To help us sigh out, to release worry and anxiety a bit, and then as well to have amplified respiration and inspiration in our lives, I offer this fulcrum.
RE-INSPIRATION FULCRUM
Client: supine
Therapist: seated at head of table
(both with masks on at this time)
Instruct the client that to do this next fulcrum (technique) you will need their gentle activity as well – namely you will ask them to breathe in and out fully and also, between the in and out breaths, you will guide them to pause briefly, holding the breath in for just a few moments.
Place your hands under the middle of the rib cage.
Curve your fingers up so that the fingertips contact the middle of ribcage (around ribs 5-8). Your fingertips are in the area midway between the scapula and the spine. Gently curve your fingers so you can feel your fingertips against the ribs. Ask the client to a take a relaxed breath in and out.
Now ask the client to take a nice big breath in and simultaneously you put in a gentle lifting (anterior-ward) fulcrum to the thorax. You’re not lifting the ribcage up, just pressing in a little deeper (anterior) with your fingertips as they breath in.
Now ask to them to hold that breath in – saying as you do, "Hold it. Hold it. Hold it." That takes about 3 to 5 seconds.
Then ask them to let that go, relax and exhale. As they do so you relax your fingers a little, letting them drop with the ribcage.
Stay mindful with your touch. Pause, while they take one regular breath. Then repeat the lift, the in-breath, the held-breath, “Hold it, Hold it, Hold it”, and then out-breath. Again pause for one relaxed breath. Then repeat a third time – lift, in-breath, held-breath, “Hold it, Hold it, Hold it” and out-breath.
Then take your hands off the body and just give them some moments to just breathe and feel how they feel.
p.s. If at any point the client feels dizzy, clearly and gently disengage. In any case, do not make the duration of the held breath too long.
Some reasons you may choose to do this fulcrum:
free the respiratory movement of ribs, lungs, and diaphragm
gently amplify a client’s a sense of expanded awareness
relieve thoracic pain that may be due to rib fixations and/or tense back muscles
help the person feel more relaxed and inspired
bring greater ease into the realm of the heart
help client release some of the accumulated anxiety and breath-holding that is so common these days
