From: Freezer 14/12/99 18:16:33 Subject: diaphragms post id: 16650 Why exactly is breathing with your diaphragm so much more effective that breathing with your chest? And what is the structure of the diaphragm like - what is it made of? And why do the contraceptive diaphragm and the body part diaphragm have the same name? Freezer From: Gus 14/12/99 18:37:41 Subject: re: diaphragms post id: 16656 in terms of chinese medicine, breatin wih ur diaohragm replenishes ur chi, or inner energy, it is also easier to breathe with when u r exhausted, all u need to do is roll ur hips forward, and itll fill up, instead of trying to lift ur whole chest. Asthmatics do it naturally.. ummm it also rids ur body of alot of stale air that would otherwise be sitting in ur diaphragm (i do alot of diaphragm related stuff at Karate) i dont wanna get too much into the chinese medicin bit and everything else, so u can wait for some medical guy to come and give u answers. And i shall refrain from making any sexual comments towards u in this thread! lol freezer. BYe! :-->0) From: Kothos 14/12/99 19:20:59 Subject: re: diaphragms post id: 16679 Um, while it's true that Chinese medicine works in a lot of ways, it doesn't mean the Chinese doctors know what's actually going on (thousands of years worth of trial and error going on there). Although the chi theory works for me, I prefer to think of it simply as a metaphor for controlling your body, rather than believe there's an actual life force coursing through my soul or some such thing. As for the diaphragm, it's worthwhile learning to use it well. It lets you control your breathing a lot better (controlling the rate of intake and expulsion of air), which helps when focusing your movements. And if you learn to use it while at rest (you can get more than enough air while resting using the diaphragm alone) you get free abdominal exercise - you'll never have to do a situp again (well, almost). Gus, please do go into the whole Chinese medicine thing, I'd be really interested. From: Terry Frankcombe (Avatar) 14/12/99 19:38:45 Subject: re: diaphragms post id: 16701 in terms of chinese medicine, breatin wih ur diaohragm replenishes ur chi, or inner energy, Chi is not a scientifically viable concept. it is also easier to breathe with when u r exhausted, I might let you have this one, as I'm not sure. all u need to do is roll ur hips forward, and itll fill up, instead of trying to lift ur whole chest. Asthmatics do it naturally.. No need to bugger around with your hips. Just poke your stomach out. ummm it also rids ur body of alot of stale air that would otherwise be sitting in ur diaphragm (i do alot of diaphragm related stuff at Karate) Oh, where do I start with this one??!! Stale are sitting in your diaphragm? That is wrong on so many levels it's barely even funny. i dont wanna get too much into the chinese medicin bit and everything else, so u can wait for some medical guy to come and give u answers. And i shall refrain from making any sexual comments towards u in this thread! lol freezer. I won't, but only in the context in which it was asked. And why do the contraceptive diaphragm and the body part diaphragm have the same name? Because that's what they are. It isn't that someone looked at the thing seperating your chest and abdominal cavities and said "Let's call it a diaphragm", but it's called a diaphragm because that is what it is like. Just like the contraseptive diaphragm. A dictionary definition: A dividing membrane or thin partition especially in a tube. Terry the Blunt.