Thinking and Breathing (Patrons)

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Expand your awareness and use of the whole breathing apparatus by directing attention to specific anatomy, while experimenting with "stepped" breathing and different body configurations. Starts with an essential anatomy lesson that cultivates concepts and imagery used throughout the ATM lesson.

Most Accessible  floor-sitting  back-lying 

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Before you begin read this for practical tips and your responsibilities, and check out Comfort & Configuration below.

Recorded live in a Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement (ATM) class, this lesson is copyright Nick Strauss-Klein, for personal use only.

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Tip – what to wear

Study tip: Wear loose, comfortable clothes that are warm enough for quiet movement. Remove or avoid anything restrictive like belts or glasses.

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Tip 3 – Head Support

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Here are the screenshares mentioned at the beginning of the lesson. The audio player is below.

The two lungs are really quite different sizes. The right lung has three lobes and is larger. The left has two lobes, leaving room for the heart. The bronchi branch out to the lobes of the lungs from the base of the windpipe. Image source.

lung schematic

The diaphragm is vaulted when it’s relaxed, and flattens down when you inhale:

When you inhale the sternum rises, the chest thickens and broadens, and the diaphragm tightens, pulling down toward its connections with the lumbar spine:

On subsequent listenings you may wish to begin at the ATM lesson, which starts just after the 9-minute mark.

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  • Comfort & Configuration
  • Clarifications
  • Curiosities
  • Context
  • Related Lessons
  • Source

Later on in the lesson you’ll be sitting on the floor. You may wish to have a chair available instead. Other considerations and adaptations are mentioned in the audio.

In the seated “healthy slump” portions, the weight of your head hanging down is used in part to help you feel the muscles of your back relax and lengthen more as you breathe. Notice how over time your head may sink a little lower on the exhales, in addition to rising slightly with the inhales as described.

In the “healthy slump” position, the typical inhale expansion of the front of your lungs is intentionally limited by your roundedness, while at the same time there’s more room for air to fill the back of your lungs. This can help us begin to sense that our lungs as close to our backs as our fronts, even though we rarely think of breathing “backwards.”

It’s likely you’ll find more spontaneous awareness of breathing into your back after this lesson. This is a very beneficial sensory curiosity to keep investigating in the coming hours and days.

This lesson is one of 12 in Moshe Feldenkrais’s 1972 book Awareness Through Movement. The Feldenkrais Project has a complete collection of lessons from this source.

It also appears in our Deep Dive courses called Breathing with Vitality and The Pelvic Floor: Less Is More.

It was recorded during our quarterly Patrons call on October 15, 2021. We recommend studying from this edited audio version, but Patrons can also view an unedited Zoom recording that includes some discussion with students before and after the lesson. Find it here.

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While taught in my own words, this lesson comes directly from Moshe Feldenkrais’s 1972 book Awareness Through Movement.

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Got a question for Nick, or a thought about this lesson?

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9 Comments

  1. Fern Chester on October 21, 2021 at 2:54 pm

    I have scoliosis to right so I found the lesson a little harder on the right side or to rephrase easier on the left.Did Moshe address scoliosis?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Nick Strauss-Klein on November 2, 2021 at 12:45 pm

      Yes. It’s also expected that everyone will find noticeable differences between the sides based on their own history and habits (not just that all humans have asymmetrical lungs). Scoliosis can generally be helped through exploring a broad variety of Feldenkrais ATM lessons, since spinal structure is affected by our muscular habits, which we tend to see change significantly over time with Feldenkrais study. For specific personal recommendations you may wish to find a local practitioner for 1-to-1 work.

      Reply
  2. Ann Thomson on November 10, 2021 at 3:53 pm

    I thought this was an inspired lesson. I have a copy of the Feldenkrais book but the detailed introduction with the videos made the lesson so much easier to feel aware of what was happening .Many thanks for this one Nick. Ann

    Reply
  3. jean kirk on November 11, 2022 at 4:51 am

    Are any lessons directing help for trouble sleeping

    Reply
    • Nick Strauss-Klein on November 11, 2022 at 9:31 am

      [2024 UPDATE: Our new “little dip” of Six Lessons for Anxiety may be our best answer to this question.]

      I haven’t taught directly to this topic but better sleep, and getting back to sleep more easily, are a frequent effect of Feldenkrais study. To maximize that benefit you might…

      • – Try studying ATMs right before bed. If it’s hard to pay attention at the end of the day try the shorter ATMs in our Getting Oriented and Patron Treasures collections.
      • – Try bits of breathing lessons before bed, or when trying to get back to sleep.
      • – Practice the ATM techniques in the Rest and Recharge lessons (blue box) in our Breathing with Vitality Deep Dive.
      • – You can also Google “Feldenkrais Sounder Sleep System” to find some other practitioners’ more specifically-targeted work.
      Reply
  4. Margaret Marcuson on August 24, 2024 at 10:34 am

    I learned so much about breathing anatomically and experientially. I’m a singer so this is extremely helpful. The information about breathing and longevity was fascinating.

    Reply
  5. Anna Lovenjoy on August 29, 2024 at 11:17 pm

    What a great lesson for stretching and noticing the rib basket and the lungs! I never knew about the size difference between the lungs, and there are some great descriptions creating visuals that helped me understand the inside of my body better. very cool. I really noticed some stuck spots and loved all the exploration with the diaphragm.

    Reply
  6. Siobhan Hannah on September 26, 2024 at 2:57 pm

    Very interesting lesson 🙏
    I felt my left side much easier than the right , especially with the side sitting at the end . However , now after completing the lesson my whole body is way more comfortable and balanced than usual .
    I’ll do it again in few days .
    Thank you for the beautiful delivery .

    Reply
  7. Sylvianne on July 16, 2025 at 1:17 pm

    I don’t know if it is because i am RIght Handed but the breathing practice on my Left Side (especially when lying down) felt foreign, i couldn’t feel much life or much movement. Fascinating to become aware of that. thank you

    Reply

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