Infowriters4_2018 InfoWriters nr. 4 din 2018 | Page 15

INFO WRITERS
Breathing and its forms
B
reathing, as a reflex-
ive action, involves
gas exchange that is
necessary for our survival
and has two distinctive forms
– inhalation and expiration .
During expiration, the breath
touches the vocal chords
which are in phonic position
and by subordination it pro-
duces sounds. Inhalation
and expiration involves the
modifying of the thoracic
cavity:
- During inhalation, the tho-
racic cavity increases on a
vertical, antero-posterior and
transversal level; this is due
to the descent of the dia-
phragm.
- During expiration, the pro-
cess is reversed, the ab-
dominal muscles contract at
the same time as the dia-
phragm is pulled upwards.
In children’s case, breath-
ing differs according to their
age.
The diaphragmatic
breathing which is charac-
teristic for children trans-
forms into a thoracic ab-
dominal breathing around
the preschool time and,
gradually, around puberty, it
transforms into a thoracic
breathing for girls and re-
mains a thoracic abdominal
type for boys. Changes hap-
pen during childhood, which
is something normal, be-
cause the body grows.
There are four types of
breathing: High Breathing or
Clavicular Breathing, Mid
Breathing or Inter-Costal
Breathing , Diaphragmatic or
Abdominal Breathing and
Costal-Diaphragmatic
Breathing or the Artistic
Breathing.
Characteristics
of
the
breathing and their way of
functioning.
High Breathing or Clavicular
breathing elevates the ribs
and raises the collarbone
and shoulders, at the same
time drawing the abdomen
and pushing its contents up
against
the
diaphragm,
which in turn is raised. The
upper part of the chest and
lungs, which is the smallest,
is used and consequently
only a minimum amount of
air enters the lungs. Clavicu-
lar breathing is the most
shallow type of breathing be-
cause it brings oxygen into
only the top third of the
lungs. Pregnant woman use
this type of breathing.
Mid Breathing or Inter Costal
Breathing is breathing into
and filling the top third of the
lungs, as in clavicular
breathing, and then continu-
ing to breathe into the middle
part of the lungs.
Intercostal breathing is ac-
complished by pulling up the
clavicle, shoulders and torso,
13
and then expanding the
chest wall and ribs. It is a
helping kind of breathing for
the diaphragmatic breathing
and it can be easily ob-
served when the waist is
pulled, the diaphragm does
not move normally.
Diaphragmatic or Abdominal
Breathing is the breathing
done by contracting the dia-
phragm. Air enters the lungs
and the chest rises and the
belly expands during this
type of breathing. This type
of breathing is the most ad-
vantageous from all the
breathing types mentioned
before. This type of breath-
ing it is, generally, the natu-
ral type of breathing during
sleep or when we lay down
on our back.
Costal
Diaphragmatic
Breathing or the Artistic
Breathing is a mixed be-
tween the last two types of
breathing and it is commonly
used by singers and în thea-
tre. It is the most advanta-
geous because the thorax
expands both horizontally
and vertically. It is more effi-
cient and effortless. This
type of breathing is the basic
breathing. It is a broad
breathing which gives a
strong vocal intensity without
interruption.
Teacher Bogdan Marius-
MATEI