Full Course Description

The Breathing Gym: Brain-Based Breathing Strategies for Improved Performance and Pain Relief

Program Information

Objectives

  1. Examine the neurological foundations of breathing and become familiar with the benefits and challenges of respiratory training
  2. Investigate how to use assess and reassess practices to better personalize your respiratory training and begin building awareness of your respiratory musculature 
  3. Evaluate the foundational respiratory training program for improving movement and performance
  4. Determine the primary goals and strategies for how to use breathing exercises to relieve pain
  5. Develop a respiratory training program that targets specific portions of the brainstem and their associated contributions to muscle tone and autonomic control
  6. Create a timeline for your breathing practice and discover where to learn more

Outline

Module 1: Why Practice Breathing?

  • Neurological Foundations of Breathing 
  • Brain plasticity matters
  • Time constraints
  • What to do & when to do it
  • Cognitive awareness
  • 4 categories of respiratory training
  • Respiratory neurology
Module 2: Make Breathing Matter! Personalization & Practical Foundations
  • Self-Assessments 
  • Muscles of inspiration vs. expiration
  • Mechanical work for breathing 
  • Personalizing Respiratory Training
  • Breathing Awareness Drills
Module 3: Breathing for Better Movement: Targeting the Breath
  • Sensory warm up
  • Right side, left side, or both? 
  • Exercises and lab demonstrations
    • Inhalation & exhalation mapping
    • Create a cylinder
    • Incorporate tools: bands, hands, weights
    • Diaphragm stretches
  • Lateral and front opener stairstep
  • Positional Variations
    • Supine
    • Prone
    • Side
    • Sitting
    • Standing
    • Trunk rotations
    • Lateral trunk bends
    • Neck rotations
    • Sports specific positions
Module 4: Breathing for Pain Relief
  • Decrease sympathetic tone
  • Enhance vagus nerve activity and function
  • Deep and slow breathing (DSB)
  • Timed breathing patterns
  • Connecting to the awareness drills
Module 5: Respiratory Training: Breathing for Brain Activation
  • Improve muscle tone, synergy for mobility, strength and stability
  • Breathing for cognitive and coordination challenges
  • Neural activation drills
    • Breath holds
    • Air hunger drills
    • Deep inhalation
    • Slow breathing
    • Forced exhalation
    • Blocked inhalation
    • Rhythmic walking/running
Module 6: Goals of Your Customized Training Program
  • Daily awareness drills
  • Neural activation drills
  • Reduce breathing asymmetry 
  • Incorporating strength training
  • Reminders

Target Audience

  • Physical Therapists
  • Physical Therapy Assistants
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Occupational Therapy Assistants
  • Chiropractors
  • Massage Therapists
  • Exercise Physiologists
  • Athletic Trainers
  • Personal Trainers

Copyright : 07/23/2020