Peggy Hackney- Making connections- Chapter six- Breath

'A great whoosh connects what is outside, air of the world, with the inside of me...connects the inside of me with myself.'

After reading Chapter 6 BREATH from Peggy Hackney's book Making Connections I found myself educated further on the importance of breath through everyday life, for example within relationships, and performance. She advises us to ask ourselves the question ''How can I be in this wondrous place of perfect unity?'' before answering with 'Simply by participating in the primal pattern of BREATH.' Breath is a natural thing that we all do from birth, not something that is learnt: 'It happens automatically' (2002. p. 51.). However by reading this chapter it enables you to see the true power of breath in relation to feeling whole and experiencing an entire bodily connection.

 

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This chapter has also taught me how breath can used as a calming mechanism. After experimenting with the various exercises Peggy describes I was able to harness the power of such techniques within my own performance. For example one exercise that I enjoyed was entitled 'When you breathe are you aware of any areas in your body moving subtly?'. When doing this exercise I laid on the floor in my room and tried putting my hand on areas of my body that I could feel moving when I breathe, as instructed, in order to feel the nature of the movement and the quality of the breath. I found this to be a very serene and calming experience and it allowed me to discover things I hadn't noticed before in relation to my breath and movement.
I have found since coming to university the level of anxiety I feel before a performance has increased and by using breath techniques it allows me to calm myself and regain my self confidence before partaking in a performance. This is something that is vital for me as I cannot perform to my best ability if I do not hold confidence in myself and what I am about to do. When rehearsing for other modules such as Approaches to performance I was able to apply the breathing techniques I had read within this chapter. As Peggy says such exercises ensure that 'I feel more sense of presence and ease'. (202. p.52.) 
Furthermore I have discovered that breath is the foundation for 'patterns' that follow and 'Wherever the breathing is blocked in the body, future patterns will be blocked; wherever the breathing is free, the future patterns will develop efficiently.' This is something that I must remember when preparing for future performances, to ensure that my breath is free and functioning in a way that benefits my overall performance.
I have found that I can often get stressed easily and have been inspired by this book to get involved in classes such as Tai Chi or Yoga. My Aunty actually teaches Tai Chi and I intend to gain advice and information from her on this subject.
I enjoyed finding out about the different ways peoples breath can be affected through life, as the majority of my family have asthma apart from me. My sister in particular is someone who has struggled with anxiety and asthma so it gave me insight into how the two may be connected. Breath can be used a calming mechanism but also could bring anxiety to a person if they were to sense something is wrong in relation to their breathing pattern and Peggy Hackney highlights the fact that 'probably most people are enjoying less than their complete breath support.' Therefore by reading this chapter and partaking in various exercises that she describes I have been able to gain more control over my breath, and consequently my entire body, within performance. It has taught me that even when I am feeling 'exhausted ''dead''' that I can use breath to energise my body and mind within performance. I hope to apply such methods in the future to improve my overall performance.