A theory about breathing: the “Terlusollogie”

Terlusology (Terlusollogie) is a breathing technique that has had its echo among musicians and physiotherapists in Germany and Switzerland.

We have had the opportunity to learn about Terlusology thanks to the Swiss singer and voice therapist Regula Berger, who has come to Spain on different occasions to give workshops with this technique. Terlusology is a theory on human muscular and respiratory patterns that was born in Germany more than 40 years ago. It is known rather in German-speaking countries. It is difficult to find information about her in other languages. I couldn't find anything in Spanish.

Terlusology affirms that there are two fundamental types of breathing, and each person finds one of the two more natural. There are “exhaling” people (the so-called solar pattern), who passively inhale the air and actively exhale it. Other people are “inhalers” (the so-called moon pattern), inhaling actively and exhaling passively. The type of breathing also determines other issues related to the configuration of the body: in which way we are more comfortable standing (supporting the weight on the muscles or on the bones), which positions are more comfortable to sit (stretched or upright), which areas of the body need more heat, etc.

A very interesting conclusion drawn by terlusology is that sometimes the breathing patterns (in yoga, pilates, the singing technique) follow a certain pattern, normally the solar pattern (exhalation is active). This would be quite detrimental to people who have the opposite pattern. According to the creators of terlusology, this would explain many problems for singing students (who have a teacher from a different pattern than theirs) or for practitioners of yoga or sports.

In my experience with singing teachers, I have observed that there are teachers who emphasize the exhalation and others on the inhalation. Those who pay attention to how we breathe out insist that the intake of air must be automatic and that the singing must be done “with a lot of air”, with an active sensation of breathing. Teachers I've met who focus on inhalation direct your attention to the intercostal muscles and upper trunk to promote an active inhalation. Then they encourage you to breathe out passively, without paying much attention. This observation could find an explanation in Terlusology, according to which each student would need a teacher who would stimulate their most natural breathing.

Something very striking about this theory is that, according to what he says, whether we have a predominant type of breathing or another depends on the moment of our birth and the first breath. According to the phase of the moon and the sun, it is considered that at that moment there was more predominance of the energy of the sun or the moon, and that this determines that there is a solar (exhalation) or lunar (inhalation) pattern. This is not related to the horoscope (the position relative to the stars), but only to the moment of the lunar cycle and the solar cycle.

Table on the characteristics of the types of breathing in the terlusollogie.

Information provided by the singer and voice therapist Regula Berger.

According to Erich Wilk, MD Charlotte and Christian Hagena, MD, and Brigitta Seidler-Winkler.

Lunar type: active inhalation

The inhalation is actively guided. The exhalation is passive.
Stretching releases energy.
Sleeping on the back or on the right side stretches the outer intercostal muscles.
Areas of the body that need stretching and heat: chest, arms, legs, scalp, ears.
Areas of the body that need contraction, cold application and strong massage: pelvis, neck-throat, face (not the ears).
Verticality is achieved by stretching. They prefer to lean on something.
The right side is the strong one. The weight is supported on the right leg. The right ear hears better up close (important for intonation).
The voice is “inhaled”. It is inhaled as if smelling through the nose while the head is slightly tilted forward, stretching the neck. You don't need a lot of air, but the sensation of smelling an aroma. . During phonation, the head is released, it leans back slightly, letting the voice out.
To free the voice, a dynamic state of movement is preferable. It is not convenient to maintain the same body position very often.
There is an imagined mouth on the back of the neck that can be opened by yawning or smiling. Plosive consonants (p,t,k,b,d,g) help the flow of speech to go backwards.
Breathing pauses after inhalation, with lungs full. From here you get strength and expression. The beginning of the phrase is accented and the voice continues in a relaxed manner until there is no air left.
It is preferable to warm up the voice with exercises that go from high to low.

Solar type: active exhalation

The exhalation is actively guided. The inhalation is passive.
Muscle contraction releases energy.
Sleeping on the stomach or on the left side stretches the internal intercostal muscles.
Areas of the body that need stretching and heat: pelvis, neck-throat, face (not the ears).
Areas of the body that need contraction, cold application and strong massage: chest, arms, legs, scalp, ears.
Verticality is achieved by contraction. They prefer to maintain the upright position through muscle activation.
The left side is the strong one. The weight rests on the left leg. The left ear hears better up close (important for intonation).
During phonation, the head is tilted slightly forward, as if wanting to sing over a fence. On the passive inhalation the muscles relax, the head is tilted back slightly and the jaw is released. The air enters by itself.
To release the voice a state of rest is preferable. With movement the voice loses its base.
The voice needs a lot of air. The lips adopt an embouchure position. The voice is emitted ahead, . by an "enlarged mouth" that includes mouth and nose, the seat of the voice.
Breathing pauses after full exhalation. From here you get strength and expression. More breath is given, so that the voice is directed and receives more breath towards the end of the phrase.
It is preferable to warm up the voice with exercises that go from low to high pitched.