Back in June, upon hearing of my frustration with a stamina problem during dance competition, Maja Servé - world-class ballroom dancer, coach, and adjudicator -- generously pointed me in the direction of a book by Ian Jackson. In hindsight, that moment was dramatically pivotal for me. Not only did I seek out and drink in Jackson's book The BreathPlay Approach to Whole Life Fitness, but I began working with his Acousti-Coaching training CDs and experimenting with how to apply his BreathPlay techniques both on and off the dance floor.
To my delight, Ian Jackson and I became friends and have spent hours on the phone talking about the power of the breath, its relevance to self-expression, and various ways to more effectively harness its creative energy. His breath-coaching techniques comprise some of the most important tools I’ve encountered in my life -- they’ve contributed potently to transforming my outlook, body, and dancing since I was introduced to them, and still my use of and experience with them feels like just the tip of the tip of the iceberg.
Breathwork is not something new to me. I’ve worked with conscious-breathing techniques for years, especially in the context of my yoga explorations. Variants of deep, audible ujjayi breathing are common in yoga and meditative practices, and are by now second nature to me. I’ve experimented with various breathing techniques taught in Kundalini and Kriya yoga; I’ve taken Art of Living workshops, and practiced Pranayama on my own, including a bit of Swara Yoga (left/right-balancing nostril breathing).
But what BreathPlay has done for me is to bring an awareness of these techniques into my every day experience. There isn't a moment where they can't be played with. The day has become filled with opportunities to pay attention to how I'm breathing, and to use my breath to focus on movement or a particular part of my body...and to have fun doing it! When I take the time to invest my energy this way, things really begin to kick into new gears!
I’ve started this blog to share my on-going exploration of the breath, especially in applying BreathPlay techniques, and in using the breath to energize the nervous system, to coordinate movement, and to improve my dancing. And am hoping my dance friends, other athletes…and perhaps Ian Jackson himself…will participate in discussion on the topic!
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4 comments:
I was taken pleasantly by surprise when Angela told me, in one of our first conversations, that a ballroom coach had referred her to my work. Although I knew that BreathPlay could provide any dancer with an extraordinarily powerful tool for deepening and refining technique, I never imagined that it would be recognized by a world-class ballroom dancer. I have always felt that my work was virtually invisible, know only to a handful of appreciative people like cyclist John Howard, who set two BreathPlay-powered world records, and has spoken of BreathPlay as "one of the best-kept secrets of modern sports."
I'm delighted by Angela's invitation to participate in her blog, and I'm looking forward responding supportively to those who happen this way.
Thank you, Ian!
I am absolutely delighted that you've stopped by, and hope this becomes a place for dynamic sharing on the subject.
I am glad that Angela has made this blog.
Every dancer need to learn to breath. I know….that sound like a joke, but the breath can help you to the point of excellence in dancing. Let me explain a little about my self and how I got to Ian Jackson work with Breathplay
I had a very unique up-bringing and was trained with many alternative information or some would call it new-age thinking. My grandfather taught us to meditate or get within as he used to call it, at a very young age. Breathing was of cause part of it. When I later started dancing breathing was mentioned and not really taught in detail. I was what my mentor Bob Proctor calls, an unconscious competent. I didn’t know what I was doing, I just did it right. Since I retired from competitive dancing I finally found my purpose in life namely; to find out what I had done and share that knowledge with other dancers seeking advancement. In my quest to help students I often take classes in all kind of aspects of life and have developed a team of very knowable people that are able and willing to help me find information to help students. One of these people is a dear friend of mine Dr. Dan Lehnberg. He is a highly trained chiropractor that works with sport people from all over the world. Dr. Dan is very open minded and willing to learn new things. One day I was having problems getting a student to breathe the way that would help him in his dancing. I asked Dr. Dan for help and he suggested me looking into Ian Jackson’s book. I did that and it was very helpful. So there you have it. This is how a ballroom dancer came to refer Ian to you, Angela.
Nice blog, Sam. I will try to keep up with it. Am interested in starting to work on this myself....if I could just find a moment to breathe :)
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