Inside and out: deep contact with the breath, chest, ribcage, and diaphragm | 24 Apr 2026 | EWC

Inside and Out: Deep Contact with the Breath, Chest, Ribcage, and Diaphragm

The chest and diaphragm are often overlooked as primary contributors to back and shoulder issues. They are the source of our breath and our taking in of life. These core muscles are often tight, constricting breathing, energy flow, and movement.

In this class, we partner hands-on soft tissue application with deep experiential breathwork, giving you a truly holistic understanding of the interplay between the mechanics of breathing and the life force of the breath itself. The chest, diaphragm, and breathing mechanism are often overlooked as primary contributors to back, neck, shoulder and visceral issues. Their level of vitality and flexibility directly reflects our ability to breathe and to take in life. These core muscles are often tight, constricting breathing, energy flow, and movement. 

You will learn simple but powerful myofascial and deep tissue methods to release the diaphragm, sternum, ribcage and the breath itself. These techniques are liberating and create a noticeable opening right away, helping your clients (and you) to breathe twice as deeply with half the effort. They also create a foundation for a more balanced shoulder girdle. We will also do some deep, precise bodywork with the muscles around the vertebral column and the posterior ribcage. Come prepared to go a little deeper in this class, and to push and explore your edges a bit.

Brian Utting (USA) has over 40 years of teaching experience, and his massage school in Seattle was considered one of the best in the US. His classes blend anatomical precision, humor, common sense, and depth. He was awarded a 2009 AMTA Lifetime Achievement award, was inducted into the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame in 2014, and received the AMTA Service to the Profession award in 2024.

Aline Visser (Leuven, BE) brings over 25 years of experience in yoga, with more than a decade as a certified teacher. She specializes in Zen Shiatsu and has training in other massage techniques as well. In recent years, she's also cultivated a special interest in breathwork practice, and its role in bodywork, yoga, and health.

"This course lifts massage therapy to a higher level. The chest work was amazing--my range of breathing went waaaay up." -Lise Orye, Belgium

Package discount: 290 euros for the 2 workshops with Brian Utting.