Strelnikova breathing gymnastics


Credit: Anna Strelnikova

I have just learnt about Strelnikova breathing gymnastics. The gymnastics were originally developed by Alexandra Severovna Strelnikova to restore the voice of singers but turned out to be just as effective for the treatment and prophylaxis of respiratory illnesses. The central element of the gymnastics is sniffing energetically within a series of simple movements involving the whole body.

Sniffing is widely used in all breathwork traditions for cleansing and energising. Perhaps the most widely known is the Kundalini yoga „breath of fire“. What is interesting in the Strelnikova approach is that the instructions for the sniffing are very precise: a short sniff at the end of one of the designated movements in her series. This ensures that, unlike in the other types of „breathwork sniffing“, one doesn‘t overbreathe.

Here is a link explaining more about Strelnikova breathing gymnastics with a video of the excercises being performed: http://www.normalbreathing.com/d/strelnikova.php

And here is a video where the exercises are done precisely by dancers and one could join in the routine:

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