A breath token is a breathing exploration that I develop for friends & clients and send out as a gift.
Making space in the loins
The loins are a key area as they are the transition between the pelvis and the legs. This area relates to breathing through the poses muscle which runs diagonally from the top of the dorsal part of the diaphragm to the top of the thigh bone. The diaphragm and the psoas muscle are thus connected. We can sense the psoas muscle clearly when we stand on a step or a Yoga block and let one leg hang, pull it up and let it hang again. Or we can try out walking with two different focuses: 1. the pelvis and the legs as a unit and 2. the pelvis and the legs as two separate units. What happens in the body and in breathing during and after walking in one way and then the other?
Usually when the focus is on the pelvis and the legs as a unit, the movement of the legs becomes narrower and the body more compact. The breathing is restricted. When the focus is on the pelvis and the legs as separate units, the torso lengthens, the loins become more open, expanded even, the psoas releases and the legs can move more freely. The freedom of the legs transfers itself on the breath movement. Any position or movement that releases the psoas and makes space in the loins, also helps the breath movement.