Having had two dead teeth pulled recently, I decided to re-watch Six Feet Under, the fabulous TV series about an undertaker family in Los Angeles. I was delighted to learn how the way you breathe affects doing flower arrangements.
After her husband‘s death, Ruth Fisher, the mother of the family, decides to take a job in a flower shop. She loves working at “Blossom d’Amour” but one day her boss Nikolai confronts her about her flower arrangements. He tells her that there have been complaints from customers that her arrangements have a „funereal“ look. Nikolai takes her off the flower arranging and assigns her to work on the register and to do the books instead. Having done the books for the family business for decades, Ruth is furious and takes action by attending a flower arrangement course.
During the course (season 1, episode 11), we see the teacher walking around the workbench where the female participants are finishing their flower arrangements, commenting on each of the creations. When she comes to Ruth, she stops and not only gives her advice on her flower arranging but also on her breathing:
Teacher: Very nice!… Luscious! (She comes to Ruth.) This is a little… tight.
Ruth: Tight?
Teacher: You’re not breathing right.
Ruth: I’m not?
Teacher: You’re breathing from here (pointing at Ruth‘s head) when you should be breathing from here. (pointing at Ruth‘s belly)
Ruth: But my lungs are here. (pointing to her chest)
Teacher: Of course they are. I’m speaking metaphorically. If you breathe from up here, your arrangements will come from up here. If you breathe from down here, your arrangements will come from down here.
Ruth: And that’s good?
Teacher: That’s very good!… Do you do yoga?
Ruth: No.
Teacher (to the group): OK, would everybody grab a yoga mat in the next room? We’re gonna do some breathing exercises before we break for dinner. (to Ruth) You’re a bit of a control freak, aren’t you?
Ruth: No, I’m not. I don’t think I am. Am I?
Teacher: Yes, and control freaks do not make good arrangers. Believe me, I know. I used to be a control freak, too. But, you know what? You can get over it. All you have to do is learn to breathe… Are you on anti-depressants?
Ruth: No!
Teacher: Well, Lord knows I’d be lost without my St. John’s Wort!…