Have you ever wondered about the incredible dance happening inside your body with every breath you take? Today, I want to share something fascinating about how your breath orchestrates a beautiful symphony of movement within your spine and brain.
Inside your skull exists a “scaffolding” of membranous tissue that supports your brain, without it your brain would slosh around (imagine a blancmange in a box!).
These dural membranes are attached to your skull bones, and these strong connective tissues are continuous with firm attachment to your sacrum at the base of your spine – this is the interesting part…..they respond to every breath you take.
Your diaphragm, that large muscle beneath your lungs, acts like a bellows to assist breathing, creating a pumping motion that significantly influences the flow of cerebrospinal fluid within your cranium. With each breath cycle, something remarkable happens:
As you inhale, your sacrum slightly flexes back, and the sutures (joints between your skull bones) expand.
When you exhale, your sacrum gently flexes forward, and the sutures close. This is actually a very subtle rhythmic movement that creates a wave that helps move cerebrospinal fluid up and down your spinal cord and throughout your brain.
Did you know it takes 12 hours for a single molecule of cerebrospinal fluid to make a complete circuit from the base of your spine to your brain and back? That means you’re naturally flushing your brain twice every day through this beautiful breath-driven process.
When you breathe using your diaphragm, you’re not just taking in air – you’re creating a powerful influence on your entire system. During inhalation and exhalation, the diaphragm expands and contracts your lungs within your rib cage.
Your diaphragm is connected to your hip flexors and indirectly with the muscles to your neck, which in turn pull on the base of your skull and the membranes within it. This interconnected movement shows us how intimately linked our breathing mechanics are to the health of our nervous system.
The way our skull develops, particularly during birth, plays a crucial role in this breath-fluid dynamic. During infancy, the cranial bones aren’t fully fused – they’re held together by membrane. This design allows for the necessary movement during birth as the baby’s head passes through the birth canal.
While any observable distortion to the skull at birth should normalise within the first few days, mechanical strains from birth trauma can influence the normal flow of CSF to the brain and spinal cord.
Understanding this intricate connection between breath, body, and fluid movement helps us appreciate why proper breathing is so fundamental to our wellbeing. It’s not just about taking in oxygen – it’s about creating the right conditions for our body’s rhythmic physiology to flow freely.
Want to experience this connection for yourself? Try this simple awareness exercise: Place your attention on your breath, feeling how your whole body participates in each cycle of breathing.
Notice the subtle expansion and release, not just in your chest but throughout your entire body. This is your body’s wisdom at work, orchestrating a complex dance of life with every breath you take.
Remember, life is precious. Look for the good stuff. Wake up and become aware of the incredible energy flowing within you with every breath.
Ewell Chiropractic
9A Cheam Road, Ewell, Epsom KT17 1SP
Our practice is next to the central car park in the Ewell village if you travel by car. And just a 10-minute wander from both train stations in Ewell.
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