Episode 15: THE ART OF BREATHING WITH JESSICA WOLF.
In this episode I have a conversation with Internationally recognized Alexander Teacher, Jessica Wolf. Jessica is a pioneer in what she does and the founder of «Jessica Wolf`s Art of Breathing» - YES, there is an art to breathing - in her own words:
«We breathe about 23,000 times a day. Anything we do that frequently, we want to do effectively. Breathing is as fundamental to life as the beating of the heart. Because we usually take breathing for granted, we tend not to realize the harmful effects that faulty breathing have on us, nor the freedom we gain by improving how we breathe. When we give ourselves permission to allow our breath to occur freely – rather than control it – we discover extraordinary vitality.»
About Jessica:
Jessica Wolf has been a teacher of the Alexander Technique for 45 years and is a Professor in the Practice of Acting at Yale School of Drama, where she established the first Alexander Training curriculum in 1998. She is also a certified Laban Movement Analyst.
Jessica is the founder of Jessica Wolf’s Art of Breathing, a certification program for Alexander Technique teachers based in her own technique, which integrates principles and procedures developed from her work in respiratory science and education. Jessica published the Art of Breathing: Collected Articles and created the first three‐dimensional animated film of the respiratory system, which has since been translated into Spanish, Chinese, and German. She is currently in development of her next book.
Other faculty appointments include the Aspen Music Festival, The Juilliard School, and the Verbier Music Festival. Jessica coaches performing artists who appear on‐and off‐Broadway, and in films and television. Her work is recognized internationally and she travels giving workshops to performers, teachers, and healthcare providers.
In this conversation we talked about:
What led Jessica to explore the topic of breath in so much depth and become an expert and pioneer in her field!
How important it is to be able to let go of breath, and «re-learning» to fully exhale
The diaphragm! And why it is such a potent structure in our body
How nature always regulates breathing and our job is it to get out of the way!
What it means to develop a kinaesthetic awareness of breathing and why this is vital for life
AND Jessica is talking us through a wonderful visual meditation - her ode to the art of breathing.
More information about Jessica`s work:
https://www.jessicawolfartofbreathing.com/
Credits:
Intro/outro music – ‘Hymn for Jim’ by Aspyrian: Robin Porter – saxophone, Jack Gillen – guitar, Matt Parkinson – drums, composed by Robin Porter, listen to the full track here.
Graphic: Annina Thali, for more information click here
Mix engineer: Jack Gillen, for more information click here