Body Language: E

An Excursion Through the Alphabet in Somatic Terms
by Thomas Myers

Thomas Myers explores the full exhalation of the breath in his article on the letter E, Part Two.    Read Part One

Myers outlines the exhaling breath as a "simple but profound movement" in that it is "a totally passive process." He compares his current focus as a practitioner on muscles' resistance to exhalation, to the attention he placed previously on the tightness in the body that restricts inhalation. Myers details the movement of the diaphragm and its relation to the rib cage and surrounding organs. He points out that many people do not allow for full exhalation, hindering air exchange and leaving behind air that is "dead" and "stale." Myers includes breathing exercises to help the client create awareness and relaxation around exhalation. Myers describes the benefits of a deeper exhalation, and encourages the therapist to allow for a new breathing pattern to naturally develop in the client.