What’s the Deal with Breathing?
I’m wrapping up a Clinical Somatics series on Releasing Neck Tension & Headaches this week at Comfy Fitness, and honestly? It’s been a ride. Here’s what we’ve covered so far:
Week 1: Shoulder blades and thoracic spine. Pure, instant satisfaction.
Week 2: Eyes and jaw. Ohhh boy. That one shook things up. Turns out squinting pulls your jaw and neck out of whack. Who knew?!
Week 3: Deep Front Lines—the body’s built-in protection system that runs all the way from your feet to your skull. Fascinating stuff.
Now here we are in Week 4, and we’re talking about… breath.
Why is breath such a big effing deal? You’ve probably been told by your therapist, your yoga teacher, your cousin who’s suddenly into mindfulness: “Just breathe.” But here’s the thing: breath is not just woo-woo advice. It’s physiology.
Breath is the bridge between your autonomic nervous system (the stuff you don’t consciously control, like heart rate and digestion) and your central nervous system (the part you do control, like your thoughts, your actions). In other words, breath is our way in. It’s how we can shift the way we feel, moment to moment to moment.
But our lifestyles love to mess with the physiology of free breathing, creating postures that directly constrict breath:
Collapsed chest
Tight neck
Tense midsection
Shock or stress that literally freezes the diaphragms in the body
If your shoulders hike up when you take a deep breath, something’s off. Check it out right now. Take a deep breath and see if your shoulders want to hike. Those diaphragms are either restricted or moving the wrong way. That means less oxygen, and according to a cursory Google search, that means more fatigue, worse mood, lousy sleep, and stressed-out organs.
Here’s my assertion: If we release the breathing muscles of the neck (hello, SCM and scalenes), open the ribcage, and let the chest expand, we create space for breath to do what it’s meant to do: fuel your body, calm your system, and make you feel… well, alive.
And that’s exactly what we’re doing this Monday, 8/25/25 at 7 PM CT—online at comfyfitness.com. All you need is: A comfy spot in your home, internet connection, and a pillow.
To Register, go here: https://www.comfyfitness.com/transform-studio
Come explore the deep breathing muscles of the neck, open your chest, and finally, breathe easier.