Natural Breathing

Type: Regulatory principle (applies across micro- and macro-movements) Perceptual skill targeted: Interoceptive

Keep the breathing “natural” — at an intensity where you could comfortably hold a conversation throughout, even during challenging movements like planks or squats.

Function: Natural Breathing serves as a continuous interoceptive monitoring task. It prevents excessive effort and trains self-monitoring skills. NB contributes to Interoceptive Awareness and is associated with stress regulation and well-being outcomes.

Relationship to Intensity Modification: NB functions as one of the stop signals for Intensity Modification — when breathing becomes labored, intensity must be reduced (IM for Effort).

Why this matters for sensory access: High-intensity exertion activates the sympathetic nervous system and triggers endorphin release, which reduces pain sensitivity and diminishes fine sensory discrimination. Maintaining natural breathing preserves the physiological conditions necessary for the sensory awareness that Baseworks is designed to develop. This is why Baseworks is not a warm-up practice — it requires no physical preparation beyond what household chores require.

Related

• The Six Principles
• Intensity Modification — NB is one of IM’s stop signals
• Interoceptive Awareness
• SENSE-CONTROL-ADAPT