Jill Miller: Increase Flexibility & Relieve Pain with Breathwork & Myofascial Release

Miller developed the five Ps framework in her book Body by Breath to make parasympathetic activation accessible and repeatable. She emphasizes that we live in a sympathetic-dominant society and need to consciously build 'parasympathetic tolerance capacity.' The practice is not just about feeling calm; it counteracts the fascial thickening caused by chronic adrenaline exposure (fibroblast-to-myofibroblast conversion). She notes that the HHP Foundation's systematic review found slow deep breathing for 5 minutes daily to be the sweet spot for anxiety reduction. The palpation component can be as simple as lying with a Coregeous ball under the sacrum. Miller uses the mantra 'All of me is welcome here' to stay present with whatever arises, including difficult emotions that often surface when the off switch is activated.

Miller treats pregnant clients as hypermobile and applies these principles. She references Jessica Eckles' research that 20% of people have some hypermobility, and Libby Hinsley's book Yoga for Bendy Bodies. The guidelines are designed to allow hypermobile people to reap the benefits of self-myofascial release—parasympathetic activation, improved interoception, reduced pain—without risking injury. She notes that hypermobile individuals often have digestive issues, anxiety, and mast cell activation, all of which can be helped by dampening sympathetic overflow through gentle rolling.