As you relax, observe your breathing without forcing. Use a couple breaths to explore the size, shape, and textures of the inside rear wall of the upper right breathing chamber. What you decide are the bounds of the upper right chamber are somewhat arbitrary, but should include the shoulder. Move your attention now to the front wall of the upper right breathing compartment. Use a couple comfortable breaths to feel the size and shape and possibly even textures of the inner front wall of the upper right breathing chamber. Move your attention now to the inner side wall of the upper right breathing chamber and gently explore the size, shape, and textures of this wall. Now, observe the way the breath moves within these walls and the size and shape of this chamber. Notice how the size and shaper of the chamber changes from inhalation to exhalation.
This exploration may be easy or difficult for you. If you find it difficult, just keep directing your attention as you move from exploring one chamber to the next. The quality of your attention and observation can improve! In fact, the act of directing your attention may be more important than what you happen to observe.
Continue to scan the chambers one at a time as you did the upper right; finishing the three right chambers and then the three left. After completing the six separate chambers, put them back together. Use a few breaths to explore the front wall of the inside of your whole torso, the back wall, the left wall, and the right wall. Feel the way the breath moves between these walls. Which walls, if any, are harder to observe? Which easier? You might want to direct a couple extra breaths to the more difficult areas for an extra dose of mindfulness.
You should feel no pain or strain during this exercise. There is no need to criticize yourself for difficulties. Some people are so used to operating on a high nervous charge that they fall asleep upon relaxing. Just be aware that this may happen and accommodate that in your time planning.
Having someone guide you verbally and perhaps with a gentle touch may help keep you on track and in touch with the experience.
Most of the chronic problems we experience are a result of inhibiting movement. Inhibiting movement can be a result of injury (to protect the injured site), as an expression (as in emotional responses), learned habits, overuse, or misuse.
Inhibition of motion leads directly to atrophy, adhering of various tissues, and infiltration of the soft tissue (muscle, tendon, fascia) with hard materials including calcium. When we soften these hardened tissues enough to allow movement and re-educate ourselves to appropriately move these areas, this process of hardening can be effectively reversed.
Freeing up an area where movement has been restricted, may bring up a memory or re-experience of a previous injury or emotional state, or reveal the weakness or tenderness in a muscle that has been underused. As we move and function more appropriately, we may simply feel a sense of relief or pleasure-like- this really feels right!
Holding patterns (the way we inhibit movement long term) in the torso, may reflect anxiety, past disease, or an old injury. With this exercise, we explore holding patterns in the torso and establish new neuro-muscular patterns to replace old restrictive or even painful patterns.
I find this easier to learn if lying comfortably possibly with the knees elevated over a pillow.
We divide the torso, conceptually, for this exercise into six chambers: upper right, middle right, lower right, upper left, middle left, lower left.