BREATH AND POSTURE

An Introduction to Arthur Lessac

by Megan Bothma
BREATH AND POSTURE ARE TWO
SIDES OF THE SAME COIN

Breathing Posture
determines determines
posture breathing
 DUALITY OF BREATH AND POSTURE

• When one stands and breathes in an optimal way, the body is free of muscle
tension, aches and strains.
• One cannot comfortably or efficiently carry out physical actions unless the
whole body is supported by proper and healthy breathing.

BUT…How does one start breathing optimally?

• One needs to become aware of how one breathes, where tension is kept in the
body and learn to release it.
 YOU ARE NOW AWARE…

• Step 1- Have all the learners sit on the floor facing you, cross-legged, while you are standing in front of
them.
• Step 2 - Tell them to pay close attention to what you are about to say.
• Step 3 - State the following sentences, pausing in between to give them a chance to process what you are
saying:
• You are now aware of how shallow your breathing is.
• You are now aware of the tension in your shoulders. Drop your shoulders.
• You are now aware of how much you are blinking.
• You are now aware of uncomfortable your tongue feels in your mouth.
• Step 4 - Watch their faces as they process their existence.
 YOU ARE NOW AWARE…

• This is a fun game to play with learners to teach them how to become aware of
themselves.
• You can play this game as often as you want.
• It keeps the learners focused and on their toes.
• The suggested statements are merely a guideline, you can come up with your
own fun statements.
• e.g. You are now aware that you are not sitting comfortably.
You are now aware that you have not moved your toes in a while.
 “PLEASURE SMELL” EXERCISE

• Smell is a powerful trigger for happy memories.

• e.g. The smell of hairspray makes me feel sleepy because it reminds me of
when I was little and my mother would be getting ready in the morning while I
was still half-asleep.
• Find the smell that brings happy memories to you.
• Find your pleasurable smell.
• Now deeply inhale that smell while squatting.
• It smells so good that you inhale it deeper every time you take a breath.
• Feel your whole torso fill with the fragrance of that smell.
 “PLEASURE SMELL” EXERCISE
(CONTD)

• Then stand up and smell its fragrance again.

• Focus on feeling the expansion of your torso as you inhale the fragrance.
• Feel the difference of the expansion of your torso compared to when you were
squatting down.
• Continue smelling your pleasurable smell until you feel fully relaxed.
• End the exercise by having the learners take in one final breath and audibly
sigh.
 POSTURE

• After having done the pleasure smell exercise, you can ask the learners if they
noticed that they breathed into their stomachs and not into their chests.
• These exercises should guide and help the learners to organically experience
optimal rather than maximal expansion of the torso.
• To further align the body for optimal breathing, instruct the learners to unlock
their knees, as this will automatically tilt their pelvises forward, releasing
pressure on the lower lumber spine.
• (Focus on the girls particularly at this point as most girls have been taught to
“stand up straight, with their shoulders pushed back and arched back”.)
• From there instruct the learners to elongate their spines by dropping their chins
to their chest, as if a string were pulling the crown of their heads towards the
ceiling.
 CONCLUSION

• “Unlocked knees, an elongated spine, a reduced waistline, a naturally expanded

thorax, a full broad back, and an extended shoulder line (free of shoulder-blade
protrusion or hollow chest) allow the body to look as it was meant to look-
pliantly upright and strong, yet relaxed and graceful, with the back exhibiting a
fully extended, soft, slender elliptical curve, rather than a straight, rigid, or
multiple-curved spine line.” – Arthur Lessac (1997)
 REFERENCES

• Lessac, A. 1997. The use and training of the human voice : a bio-dynamic
approach to vocal life. 3rd ed. London: Mayfield Publishing. [online] Available
at:
https://www.academia.edu/26323600/The_Use_And_Training_of_The_Human
_Voice_3rd_Edition_WITH_BOOKMARKS_
[Accessed 1 May 2021].