The Dynamic Musician Series Blog

The Wisdom of Arnold Jacobs

When I was studying in high school and later at the University, I often heard the name “Arnold Jabobs” mentioned with an air of reverence. Back then, I couldn’t really imagine why. Later, after my Feldenkrais Method® training and while searching for more information on breathing, I read Arnold Jacobs: Song and Wind by Brian Fredericksen and more recently, Teaching Brass by Kristian Steenstrup (both available from WindSong Press Limited). I was immediately struck by the wisdom of Jacobs’ teaching and also realized where much of the brass pedagogy I have learned from other teachers and players had originated. The information presented in these books is so useful that I continue to refer back to them periodically for information on breathing while playing a brass instrument.

One of Jacobs’ ideas that resonated with the teaching of Moshé Feldenkrais is that breathing is so complex that you can study and analyze it but not really successfully consciously manipulate it.

Moshé Feldenkrais said:

“How does one arrange for his breathing to be well organized? It is very difficult. I am generally against breathing exercises in the commonly accepted notion of breathing exercises where I would be teaching someone that they must breathe like this or like that. (I)f you tell someone how he needs to breathe, (t)he instructions usually destroy his breathing.” And continues: “To our delight, inherent in the structure of the human body there is something that permits humans to learn this easily. Something permits humans to improve their breathing constantly without undergoing special difficulties.” (From Alexander Yanai lesson number 17, Breathing)

On page 80 of Teaching Brass, Arnold Jacobs is quoted as saying:

“So often the students come to my studio and they try to push sideways. The way to get a pseudo-breath is to take the diaphragm and lock it in the high position. The diaphragm is high in the middle and it is attached to the ribs and it goes down so the fibers actually are running somewhat downward. They are attached to the ribs and the finally to the lumbar region of the spine. When it contracts it actually, if you lock it high by tension in the abdomen under, as it shortens, it pulls the ribs sideways. But then the diaphragm does not go down, As a result it is not an inspiratory activity at all. It changes the shape (of the thorax?) and this is maybe what the teacher asks for, but it does not give you the air and this causes lots of trouble.”

Although Jacobs’s ideas were specific to making music, both men to my mind arrived at similar conclusions: That is, that conscious manipulation of breathing can cause the student to do things that are actually counter-productive. As a teacher, if you tell a student how to breathe, she/he could possibly interpret your instructions very differently than you intend. This may lead to the question: “If I’m not supposed to instruct my students how to breathe, how can they learn to play an instrument?” This is a valid question and one that needs much further discussion.

On page 164 of Awareness Through Movement, Dr. Feldenkrais adds to the discussion:

“Our breathing system is complicated. We breathe in different ways when we are asleep, running, singing, or swimming. The only thing all forms of breathing have in common is that when we inhale air enters the lungs and when we exhale it is expelled, because the entire system is so constructed as to increase the volume of the lungs for breathing in, and to reduce it for breathing out. This increase in volume can be produced by a movement of the chest in front, behind, or at the sides, or by an up and down movement of the diaphragm. In general, only a part of this system is used, and that not to its fullest extent. All the possible forms of breathing are used simultaneously when breathing must be speeded up, as after rapid and prolonged running.”

Here is one possible answer.

Mr. Jacobs said:

“My approach to music is expressed as Song and Wind, This is very important to communicate a musical message to the audience. This approach is one of simplicity as the structure and function of the human being is very complex, but we function in a simple manner. When we bring it to the art form it becomes very simple.... Song, to me involves about 85 percent of the intellectual concentration of playing and instrument, based on what you want the audience to hear.... The lips cannot vibrate without wind. ...When we combine Song and Wind, the musical message, song, is the principal element comprising 85 percent of the consciousness. The remaining 15 percent is the application of the breath, wind to fuel the vibration of the lips.” (From Arnold Jacobs: Song and Wind, p. 139)

From my understanding of this quote and much of the information from his teachings, Jacobs wanted students to concentrate on the musical outcome and not on the mechanics of how to breathe.

I’ll add one last quote from Dr. Feldenkrais regarding breathing:

“The human skeleton is so constructed that it is almost impossible to organize breathing properly without also satisfactorily placing the skeleton with respect to gravity. The reorganization of breathing alone succeeds only to the degree that we succeed indirectly in improving the organization of the skeletal muscles for better standing and better movement.” (Awareness Through Movement, p. 38)

To wrap up this long post, I feel it is necessary to include posture in the breathing equation, but if you’ve read my previous posts, this is nothing new. For musicians, as Arnold Jacobs says, the desired musical outcome determines how we breathe. I have encountered so many different explanations of breathing (some that really make no sense what so ever) that I really think it necessary to work on the sound, posture and how the student feels when he/she breathes. Of course we can use exercises to enhance breathing, but such exercises must be ones that stimulate the nervous system to find a better way to breathe and not let the conscious thinking interfere. This is why many of the Jacobs exercises are away from the instrument and also why the Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® lessons can have such a profound affect on breathing.

For now I leave it at that and list the ISBN numbers of the three books.

Feldenkrais, Dr. Moshé, Awareness Through Movement ISBN 0-06-250322-7

Frederiksen, Brian, Arnold Jacobs: Song and Wind, ISBN 0-965-24890-9

Steenstrup, Kristian, Teaching Brass, ISBN 978-87-988393-3-0

Thanks for reading!

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

From iTunes

or directly

If you have any specific questions or comments on breathing and posture, send me e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe well!

The Tricky Science of Science

Scanning the web, looking for articles on the physiology of music, I found an interesting piece on measuring the movements of trombone player’s slide arms.

“Music Performance Physiology: Development of Expertise in a Natural Task: The Right Arm of Trombone Players”
Mark Kruger, Mark Lammers, Lela June Stoner, and Richard Fuller, Gustavus Adolphus College; Debra Allyn, Iowa State University

(to read the article, click here)

I have been thinking about the slide arm and what’s involved in making it work so I was quite excited to find this article. After reading, I applaud the authors’ efforts in trying to “to enhance the oral tradition of teaching instruments and voice.” In the study, participants’ arm muscles, elbow angles, wrist movements and slide speeds were measured along with an evaluation of their performance. Not surprisingly, the professional players had faster slide speeds with less muscle effort and were more accurate with the slide.

However, I was left with some questions about the relevance of the findings and moreover, the efficacy of such study, here’s why:

Measuring just he arm muscles just shows only a small part of the picture. What about the difference in movements of the shoulder blade and clavicle, the flexibility of the ribs and spine as well as the ability to neutralize the effects of accelerating and stopping the slide (and its weight)? From the perspective of a Feldenkrais practitioner, the ability to skillfully use our arms and hands is directly related to the organization of the spine and ribs (and all the muscles of the upper body) as well the support from the pelvis and legs (especially if the performer is standing). I know, all of that would be much too complex to measure and analyze but what good does it do to tell your student to move the slide faster and hold the trombone more steadily if he/she can not organize the rest of their body to do this successfully as suggested in the article’s conclusion.

“The second finding that may be of interest to pedagogists (sic) is the speed and acceleration of the slide. Even though the researchers found that all trombonists have great variability in this area, professionals do move the slide faster, so teachers should encourage younger players to move the slide faster at all tempos.”

From the perspective of an educator, I say great, but what if the student can’t move the slide faster? And to move the slide faster, the student will probably use more muscle effort, contradicting the findings in the study. One of the things professionals have learned to do is indeed move the slide faster with less effort. How have they accomplished this, without sensors hooked to their arms?

And the third finding is even more telling for the need of more comprehensive study.

“The third finding made by means of the sonic ranger and verified visually is that better players hold the instrument without extra movement of the slide from side to side or up and down. Good players have control of the instrument in relation to the body as well as to the manipulation of the slide.“

I would venture to say that the holding of the instrument is just as important as the movement of the slide arm. Once again, how do you organize your whole self to hold a heavy instrument, counter the inertia of the slide, deal with moving the slide arm in and out of its optimal length for strength, AND keep the proper pressure and mouthpiece angle? Now we know why the trombone is sometimes referred to as the elephant of the orchestra, but I digress.

To wrap this up, we have to ask the question: Because most teachers don’t have access to sophisticated testing equipment, how do we know if students are progressing towards a more optimal “physiology for performing?” Some will argue that we need to analyze and control our physical movements in comparison with the masters. Others will plead the need for matching kinesthetic sensation with sound quality. To do this, the student must also be trained in sensing her/his own effort as well as discerning what she/he sounds like. For now, I’ll let you ponder this for yourselves.

Thanks for reading!

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

From iTunes

or direct

If you have any specific questions or comments on breathing and posture, send me e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe well!

Posture & Sound

A couple of months ago I heard a quote from an orchestra musician who said, “I would rather play in pain than waste valuable practice time doing Feldenkrais to improve my pain.” I’ll bet that we’ve all heard or even thought something like this before (I know I did when my teacher recommended reading about the Alexander Technique back in college). The tendency to think that doing something with, or away from the instrument, which will help our physical well-being would be better spent "practicing" is deeply rooted in our musical education.

Now compare this with a blog entry from young bassist Jason Heath, who writes,

“Of the four previously mentioned issues, I believe that posture has the most effect on sound. The taller that we make ourselves, the bigger our sound can become. In one of my posts on sounds, I talked about creating a bigger lever with our bodies by drawing our sound from the floor. Opening up our abdominals adds at least 3 inches to our sitting height and those three inches can have an enormous impact on our sound. The taller we sit (or stand) the bigger, bassier, and more vibrant our sound can be.” Go to Jason Heath's Double Bass blog

I think most of us will agree that posture has some affect on the quality of sound; otherwise we wouldn’t admonish our students to sit or stand up straight. In addition to sound quality, posture can have an influence on the health of our joints, muscles, and tendons etc. so posture could possibly play a role in the longevity and success of a career.

This seems so obvious that I sometimes still wonder why the study and understanding of posture is not as highly regarded as the study of music theory? It would be unthinkable to graduate a student from a music school without at least a basic understanding of theory, so why should it be thinkable to graduate students without a basic understanding of their own bodies?

Perhaps because:
Many teachers don’t know how to communicate the relationship of posture and its affect on health and sound to the students.

Many teachers don’t know how to deal with the issue of posture because it wasn’t part of their education. Along this line we could argue that it may be too much to ask of a music teacher to also be knowledgeable in this field as well.

Young students’ bodies are often resilient enough to withstand the wear and tear from hours of practicing in less than ideal positions so they don’t feel the need to do so.

And finally, the competition is so stiff that we feel that every minute available for practicing must be spent with the instrument.

Interestingly enough, Arnold Jacobs recommended practicing certain breathing skills away from the instrument because the habits can be so strong when playing that the only way to establish new ones is without the instrument. Now there’s something to think about and I’ll write more about Jacobs in a future blog

Thanks for reading!

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

From iTunes

or direct download

If you have any specific questions or comments on breathing and posture, send me e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe well!

Skeletal support and the high register

But first an announcement:

The Dynamic Musician Series now available from AchievingExcelence.com.

The online book stare for “Feldenkrais Method® CD’s, books and more” is now selling the Dynamic Stability and Breath, Volumes 1 & 2. You can also order many other interesting books and CD’s on the Felednkrais Method®. To have a look, go to:

AchieveingExcellence.com

I’ve recently been experimenting with the idea of using skeletal support to improve my high register on the trombone. For me, the higher notes are often a source of uncertainty and even a bit of fear. I recently purchased Claude Gordon’s book, “Tongue Level Exercises for Trombone.” The exercises have been very helpful but when I discovered I was subtly taking my skeletal support “out from under me” while playing higher, I had a kind of epiphany. At the very moment when I needed my skeleton the most, I let myself “down.”

I began shifting my weight more onto my right leg and then left, feeling which leg gave me a stronger sense of support. I found that while holding my instrument, having my right foot a bit forward supported the instrument’s weight better and more clearly. I then began to shift my pelvis forward and back, side to side (no, not like Elvis) and found even more solidity in my support. Then the high notes became clearer and more secure.

Of course this sounds obvious but observing my students I noticed a similar thing (maybe they picked it up from me). By having them do some simple awareness exercises like the ones described above, their sound became clearer and fuller. I’m not saying that this alone will clear up problems with the high register, but it is an important component, and in my experience, just as important as the embouchure, air flow and slide position. I see this also with singers, when they are better aligned on their skeletons, they sing more easily and the sound improves. With singers, it’s often more obvious than with instrumentalists because the body is the instrument.

Of course there are musicians who play brilliantly with poor skeletal support, but for most of us the need to include the somatic aspects of playing or singing into the study of music is just as important as theory or ear training etc. This seems to be an area where many teachers will say they don’t have time, or don’t know how to address the issues. There are many teachers developing this aspect, but I envision the day when more teachers will also have training in the somatic aspects of playing, just as they do in theory and harmony and the soma will blend into the lesson and music making.

Well, it’s time to get off my soapbox, so... Thanks for reading!

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

From iTunes

or direct

If you have any specific questions or comments on breathing and posture, send me e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe well!

Is good posture necessary for good breath support?

Before the holidays, I attended the Mozart opera, “Entfürung aus dem Serail” here in Basel. Aside from the wonderful music and singing, what really interested me was that the performers had to sing their arias in all kinds of strange positions. The lead tenor sang his opening aria in a sleeping bag, rolling around the stage. Some arias were sung while slouching on a couch, holding a beer can in one hand. At one point, the 2nd tenor was singing on his back and while holding a long note, he rose up to sit by lifting his head and legs from the floor like a Pilates or Yoga move. All the while, his tone was steady and full.

Some singers have told me that this is a trend in the opera world that is not good because the singers have to do more and more. This may be true and I don’t want to argue for or against this idea but I was fascinated that the singers could fill the concert hall with their voices while singing in these strange and difficult positions. Or to be more concise, I wondered what makes this possible? How many of us as music teachers see and hear that when our students don’t have the proper posture, their breath support suffers? So if a soprano can sing a Mozart aria while slumping on the couch, why can’t our students play/sing well while slumping in a chair?

My answer to this is that good posture, which I call “Dynamic Stability,” is not necessarily dependent on body position, but rather on the ability to adapt to and work within a given position. The same holds true for good breath support, which I call “Dynamic Breath.” What enabled these singers to sing well in these different positions was their ability to find “Dynamic Stability and Breath” in whatever position they were singing. From my book, “Dynamic Stability and Breath, Volume 1,” I take a quote from the introduction:

How do you define “good posture?”

A tricky question: “Good posture” is often associated with admonishments like “sit up straight” or “don’t slouch while you’re playing.” This kind of well meant advice is rarely helpful over the long term; because such advice does not help the person to whom it’s addressed find a way to be more comfortably upright. For others, “good posture” may mean holding one’s self up or being rigid and stiff, which is certainly not beneficial in learning to breathe more easily and effectively.

I would like to propose an alternative to the term “good posture.” When sitting or standing feels comfortable and breathing feels free and easy, we can say we have “Dynamic Stability.”

Dynamic Stability means being stable and comfortable in an upright (change this to “any”) position and having the freedom to move in all directions as well.

There is more to be said on this topic, which I’ll do in a future blog. For now I’ll leave you with the idea that if we and/or our students are not comfortable sitting or standing, then we and/or they can not have “Dynamic Stability,” no matter how good the posture seems to be.

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

From iTunes

or direct

If you have any specific questions or comments on breathing and posture, send me e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe well!

Practicing A Musician’s Return to Music

Dear Readers,

For this blog, I’m going to depart a little bit from writing about awareness and the body to recommend a book that I just finished reading. Practicing A Musician’s Return to Music, Glenn Kurtz.

Kurtz studied guitar from an early age and went on to study at the New England Conservatory with aspirations of becoming a concert artist. He didn’t achieve his goal, quit playing and became, among other things a professor of comparative literature. After taking up the guitar again 10 years later, he put his fine writing skills to use by describing his plight as an aspiring musician, how it is to play now, and also includes some history of the guitar.

I was very moved by his description of being in music school and felt that he was able to accurately capture and describe an experience that I too went through. His ability to describe certain “atmospheres” or “moods” in the practice rooms and amongst fellow students brought me back to my own time studying at the University and the Conservatory.

Most importantly however, he ruminates on what it really means to make music and how the music is a result of the relationship between the performer, his/her instrument, and the listener. And he does mention something interesting about his posture while playing. He said that he was holding his right arm and elbow tense and posed the question: what does that say about his relationship with the listener?

I will write more about this theme in the next blog because posture always expresses something about the person. But for now I’ll leave you with the question: What does your posture express, or say about you, while playing/singing and when away from your instrument?

To go to the publisher’s site for a synopsis and reviews, click here

Thanks for reading, John Tarr

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais® mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

from iTunes

or directly

If you have any specific questions or comments on The Feldenkrais Method® breathing and posture, send me an e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe, sit, and stand well!

How Gentle Twisting Movements can lead to an Increase in Lung Capacity

Dear Readers,

I’m often asked what kind of stretching exercises can be done to increase lung capacity. I actually find that stretching does very little to increase lung capacity over the long run. Some of you may disagree with this but when we passively stretch our muscles, the brain invokes a protection reaction. This causes the muscle(s) being stretched to contract against the pulling so they won’t be over stretched, which could lead to injury of the muscle, ligament and in some cases a joint. Some people enjoy stretching and that’s fine just as long as the movements are done slowly and with awareness.

I have found that a better and safer way to free up the back, chest and ribs is by using gentle twisting and bending movements often found in Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement® lessons. After having done DMS lesson 2 for example, workshop participants often report the feeling of more lung capacity and easier breathing.

How does this work? When you twist, that means to turn to look to one side for example; some of the muscles between your ribs as well as along your chest and back need to lengthen in order for the ribs and spine to be able to move. Other muscles must contract to provide the necessary movement. Your brain sends signals coordinating the action of the muscles. If you stretch the muscles too much, the brain sends out signals to protect them. Of course what really goes on is much more complex than what’s being described here.

Gentle, explorative turning and twisting movements provide the nervous system with a chance to better coordinate the muscles and their movements. This leads to an increase in function and ability. Not only will breathing become easier, but also turning or bending, even balance will improve.

The best way to understand this is to experience it for yourself. The latest pod cast, “Gentle Twisting to increase Lung Capacity” is a lesson on this theme.

Thanks for reading, John Tarr

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais® mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

from iTunes
or direct

If you have any specific questions or comments on The Feldenkrais Method® breathing and posture, send me an e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe, sit, and stand well!

The Dynamic Musician Series goes digital!

Dear Readers,

I'm pleased to announce that it’s now possible to purchase and download the Dynamic Musician Series digitally. Go to "digital Products" on the DMS website and you can purchase Volume 1 and 2 as a whole or the lessons individually. Once you click the appropriate button, you will be directed to a PayPal shopping cart where you can pay with a credit card or through a PayPal account. The text to both volumes is available for free as a PDF. Of course hard copies with CD's are still available to order in the US and Europe at "publications."

For a limited time, I will be offering lesson 1 for $2.49 instead of 4.99 and the complete Volume 1 (lessons 1-4) for 10.99 instead of 16.99. This offer will expire on the 15th of November.

Thanks for reading, John Tarr

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais® mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

from iTunes

or direct

If you have any specific questions or comments on The Feldenkrais Method® breathing and posture, send me an e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe, sit, and stand well!

“Drawing the Bowstring”

What happens between the time you decide to sing or play and actually go to producing a sound? Many amateur musicians start producing sound before they are really ready to do so. This can lead to an uncertain and shaky start at best and the feeling of insecurity when commencing playing. Often these musicians will report that they feel more comfortable after they’ve played/sung a few bars. The performer is either too relaxed (too little tonus), or too tense (too much tonus) when they start and adjust their tonus while playing. I use the word “tonus” because it describes a level of muscle activity and this can be more or less suited to producing sound. The ideal is to have your tonus just right before playing.

One the ideas I’ve been investigating lately is the metaphor of a bow and arrow. I don’t claim to have invented this because I’ve seen it on other websites. Imagine drawing back the bowstring and holding it a moment before letting the arrow fly. If the sting is not drawn back enough, the arrow will fall short of its mark. If the string is too taught, it may be difficult to hold steady and affect your aim. If you draw the string back and just let the arrow fly, you miss the opportunity to sense the string’s tonus.

The same can apply to the process of starting to play/sing. When you start to play or sing, wait for a tiny moment to sense your tonus before actually producing a sound. Make a note of the tonus level and then play. What happened? Did you have more or less than the ideal tonus? Or perhaps you were right on. Where in your body did you sense the tonus? You may even find that some parts of you are too toned and others less so. By doing this, you can begin to get a finer sense of how to optimize your tonus for the beginnings of phrases. Another way is to hear the music before you play. By doing this, your brain will get your body ready to play before you’ve started, and you’ll feel much better and secure.

Now all of this may seem very obvious, but I’ve heard enough instances where this is not happening and felt it was worth mentioning. I’m sure many of you out there have other ideas a well and I’d be interested in hearing from you. I will post other ideas so that we can all profit from them.

Thanks for reading and until then, John Tarr

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais® mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

from iTunes store

or direct

If you have any specific questions or comments on The Feldenkrais Method® breathing and posture, send me an e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe, sit, and stand well!

Breath Support

What does “Breath Support” really mean? Most will answer that it is the ability of your muscles to support your breathing. This is certainly true, but I’d like to suggest another viewpoint: that breath support actually comes from your skeleton. “What? From your skeleton, you don’t breathe with your skeleton!”

Sure, you don’t breathe with your skeleton, but how you use or organize your skeleton is crucial to lung capacity, and ease of breathing. When you stand or sit, all of your body weight needs to be transmitted to the floor, or floor and chair. How easily this happens depends on the alignment of your skeleton. In this case, alignment doesn’t necessarily mean “straight,” as a well-organized spine, for example has its natural curves and is actually stronger than a “straight” spine.

To experience this for yourself, find a friend and stand behind them. Gently place the palms of your hands on their shoulders close the base of their neck. Ask them if it’s all right for you to gently push down on their shoulders in the direction of the floor. Be sure to push directly downward because if you pull them towards you while pushing, you will influence their posture. Notice how strong your friend feels and how they would collapse if you were to push really hard (which of course you will not!). Do they feel solid like a tree or springy like a bow?

If they feel strong, that is, they feel like they don’t have to do anything to counter your downward force, it means that the force is traveling through their bones and the bones are carrying the weight. In this case, have them move their pelvis a bit forward so their upper back is more rounded and their head sticks a bit forward and push again. You will most likely feel them become springier like a bow. Ask them where they have to contract their muscles to resist your force and they will probably say in the abdomen, back and thighs. Have them move their pelvis back to where they feel strong again.

If your friend is springy from the beginning, have them move their pelvis back to the point where they feel more solid and won’t have to use their muscles as much to resist the downward force.

This demonstrates that the muscles are freer when the skeleton is better aligned. Freer muscles mean easier breathing, more lung capacity and it takes less energy to be upright, hence breath support. Of course this is never the same from moment to moment because we are moving around and adjusting our alignment to carry our weight (and possibly the weight of an instrument) whenever we’re in an upright position. Breath support also means the ability to find the best alignment for a given activity. I touched on this in an earlier blog entitled “What is good Posture?”

There are many practices that can be used to develop better skeletal alignment while playing and in daily life. The Feldenkrais Method® is the method I personally find the most effective in working with this theme, but I know many other musicians have found help from other methods as well. You can experience more of what I’m talking about by doing the podcast lessons or doing the lessons from Volume one of the “Dynamic Musician Series.”

Thanks for reading, John Tarr

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais® mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

from iTunes

or direct

If you have any specific questions or comments on The Feldenkrais Method® breathing and posture, send me an e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe, sit, and stand well!