Rib Basket and the Breath

​Encouraging and inviting people to tap into their natural, innate freedom of their breath is one of my favourite parts of my work. Whether it's through bodywork or via movement and self massage to release restrictions surrounding the ribs there's a palpable difference in the way a person moves and feels, their eyes soften and light up and their face softens and glows it's like tapping into a magic stream. I prefer to use Tom Myers term of a rib basket as opposed to a rib cage although when we have soft tissue restrictions around the ribs and in the primary and accessory breathing muscles the ribs very much feel like they are cages clamped down without the ability to move and expand in many directions. So why do the ribs get clamped down? There are often many reasons but some of the main ones are ongoing stress and anxiety, where we develop muscle tension and changes in breath rhythm, if we don't have the opportunity or ability to discharge it can often accumulate over time, if you are an athlete and have a major focus on stabilising the spine without any mobilisation work, asthma or any other respiratory disorders and simply a lack of micro and global movements in this area as there are often postural distortions from modern life that impacts the rib cage positioning, the muscles surrounding it and our breathing capacity. So what can we do about it? It depends on the cause of your restriction but for most people we can all benefit from finding a way of unwinding stress, whether that's dancing, practicing a deep form of relaxation such as yoga nidra or restorative yoga, walking, exercise, a way of discharging the accumulation of stress from your tissues. Everyone could also benefit from mobilising work in this area especially if you are an athlete, the upper back by design has less mobility than the lower back or the neck because of the attachments of the ribs, that doesn't mean we can't or shouldn't work to enhance the movement that's available there in fact I've found that enhancing and refining mobility in the upper spine helps shoulder, neck and low back issues. If receiving bodywork isn't an option for you, then using balls, blocks or blankets to enhance the movement of each segment of the spine is a good option, alongside undulating spinal movements.