Breathing, Posture, and the Hidden Pressures Within

Breathing, Posture, and the Hidden Pressures Within

Reading Alexander’s first book,  Man’s Supreme Inheritance again, over the summer break, I was struck by how precisely F.M. Alexander observed relationships that modern physiology now describes in far more detail. He didn’t have today’s anatomical vocabulary, yet he consistently pointed toward the dynamic interplay between breathing, balance, spinal organisation, and the internal environment of the torso.

One of the terms he uses is the “splanchnic area.” Alexander wasn’t offering a technical definition; he was reaching for a way to describe the abdominal organs  not in isolation, but in relation to their circulation, their nerve supply, and the way they respond to changes in breathing and coordination.

“From the first lesson the effect upon the splanchnic area is such that the blood is more or less drawn away from it to the lungs.” 

MSI pp209 Mouritz edition

In contemporary language, he was pointing toward the viscera, the splanchnic nerves, and the pressure‑regulated environment in which these structures function.

It’s clear that Alexander had a profound understanding of functional relationships in the body, and through his observations he became critically aware of the interdependencies of the parts, long before modern physiology had the language to describe them.

Breathing as a Pressure System, Not a Local Event

Modern biomechanics describes the torso as a pressure‑modulating cylinder involving the diaphragm, abdominal wall, pelvic floor, and spinal stabilisers. These structures don’t operate in isolation; they coordinate to regulate:

• • intra‑abdominal pressure
• • venous and lymphatic return
• • diaphragm excursion
• • spinal support
• • autonomic tone

Alexander intuited this long before the language existed to describe it. He noted that when the diaphragm is pulled down excessively in an attempt at “deep breathing,” the centre of gravity shifts forward, the lumbar spine compensates, and the abdominal contents are subjected to unnecessary pressure.

Today we would say that such patterns alter thoraco‑abdominal mechanics, disrupt pressure distribution, and interfere with the natural oscillations that support visceral movement and circulation. Alexander didn’t describe the physiology but he accurately observed the consequences.

The Viscera Are Not Passive: Why Coordination Matters

The abdominal organs are not simply “squashed” or “released” by breathing. They glide, shear, and shift within a complex web of suspensory ligaments, fascia, and vascular structures. Their blood flow is influenced by:

• • diaphragm movement
• • abdominal wall tone
• • venous return
• • portal circulation
• • autonomic regulation

The splanchnic nerves, which supply much of the abdominal viscera, are deeply involved in autonomic balance. Changes in breathing patterns influence these pathways indirectly through:

• • vagal activity
• • baroreceptor feedback
• • thoracic pressure changes
• • the shift toward parasympathetic dominance during unforced breathing

Modern physiology also shows that breathing influences the viscera through the baroreceptors. These are tiny pressure‑sensing nerve endings in the walls of major arteries. These receptors constantly monitor changes in internal pressure and relay that information to the brainstem, which adjusts heart rate, vascular tone, and autonomic balance in response.

When breathing becomes easy and unforced, the rhythmic rise and fall of thoracic pressure stimulates these baroreceptors in a way that supports parasympathetic activity. (rest and digest as oppposed to fight and flight)

In simple terms: calmer breathing creates calmer internal physiology, not through willpower, but through the body’s own pressure‑sensing feedback loops.

Alexander most likely didn’t know the mechanisms, but he recognised that interference with breathing had consequences for:

• • metabolic efficiency
• • circulation
• • pelvic health
• • abdominal tone
• • general wellbeing

Although he wasn’t a trained scientist and his language was metaphorical; his observations were functional and accurate.

Try this quick awareness exercise.

Without changing anything, simply notice:

Are you breathing through your nose or your mouth?

Can you sense the back of your ribs as well as the front?

Do the back of your ribs move when you breathe?

What do you feel in your lower back as you breathe? What is your concept of your ribs? Are you able to visualise your ribs from the front to the back?

What , if anything, do you feel in your abdomen? As you breathe in? As you breathe out? Is your abodomen soft or hard? Flexible or rigid?

Your ribs, spine, diaphragm, and abdominal organs all move in three dimensions with every breath.

This exercise isn’t about changing your breathing.  

It’s a way of sensing how your experience shifts when more of your torso is included in the system. Did anything open, quieten, or reorganise for you as you explored your breath in this way?

Modern illustration showing how breath and splanschnic circulation can  move blood to the heart away from the visceral organs and also activate the fight and flight or conversely the rest and digest response.

Alexander as an Early Systems Thinker

More than thirty years before General Systems Theory was articulated, Alexander was describing the human organism as a self‑organising, interdependent system. He recognised:

• • feedback loops
• • compensatory patterns
• • whole‑body coordination
• • emergent behaviour
• • the impossibility of isolating one part from the whole

He wasn’t offering a better breathing method; he was showing why all methods fail. For Alexander, natural breathing was the result of improved coordination, never the target of direct effort. He rejected breathing exercises outright. Across all his books he argued that trying to ‘manage’ the breath only strengthens the habits of distortion that interfere with it. His concern was with the underlying use of the self ,the whole‑body organisation that allows breathing to function freely without manipulation.

This is why students often struggle to describe what happens in an Alexander Technique lesson. It isn’t a local adjustment to a joint or muscle or a set of exercises. It’s a whole‑system experience that influences breathing, balance, coordination, and the subtle internal relationships that support ease and vitality.

From “Deep Breathing” to Deep Coordination

Alexander lived in a culture obsessed with “deep breathing” drills and muscular effort. He saw how both created rigidity, distorted the spine, and interfered with natural respiratory mechanics.

His alternative was radical:

• • recognise habitual over‑tension
• • prevent it
• • develop new, informed concepts of movement and breathing
• • allow the organism to coordinate itself as a unified whole

This approach aligns closely with modern understandings of respiratory‑postural synergy, autonomic regulation, and pressure‑based stability. Contemporary research shows that breathing and postural control are not separate functions but deeply integrated processes governed by shared musculature, shared neural pathways, and shared pressure systems. The diaphragm, abdominal wall, pelvic floor, and deep spinal stabilisers work together as a coordinated unit, influencing not only movement and balance but also circulation, baroreceptor activity, and autonomic tone. When this system is allowed to function without unnecessary rigidity, breathing becomes more efficient, spinal support improves, and the internal environment of the viscera is better regulated through natural pressure oscillations and neural feedback loops. 

• [Debernardi, F., Fogliata, A., & Garassino, A. (2024). “Multifunctional role of the diaphragm: biomechanical analysis and new perspectives.” MOJ Sports Medicine, 7(1).]

Why This Still Matters

Understanding the torso as a dynamic pressure system  rather than a stack of parts changes how we think about breathing, posture, and internal health. It reframes the abdominal organs not as passive passengers, but as active participants in a coordinated system.

You don’t need to use the term “splanchnic area” to benefit from this perspective. But recognising what Alexander was pointing toward can deepen your understanding of:

• • breathing
• • balance
• • visceral function
• • autonomic tone
• • whole‑body coordination

If this way of thinking resonates with you, you’re welcome to explore it with us in the Blue Mountains through individual lessons, workshops, or professional training.

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