Breathing

Breathing exercises help your ribcage mobility and teach you how to breathe well. 

Warmup

1. Lie on your back.
2. Place your hands lightly on your belly. Make a “V” with your hands and place your thumbs just above your navel and point your fingertips towards the pubic bone. 
3. Feel your body movement as you breathe. Close your eyes so that you can feel the movement better.
4. Pretend that you have a balloon in your belly. As you breathe in, blow up the balloon. As you breathe out, deflate the balloon. Press out against your hands as you breathe in and then press in gently with your hands to help the breath out.

Practice this technique for five to 10 minutes (or longer) before and after your exercise session.

Low ribcage breathing

1. Place your hands lightly on the sides of your rib cage, fingertips pointed up. 
2. As you breathe in, expand the lower ribs against your hands. 
3. As you breathe out, press gently with your hands to help the breath out.

Upper ribcage breathing

1. Place your hands high up on your chest, just below the notch between the collar bones.
2. As you breathe in, expand the upper ribs against your hands. 
3. As you breathe out, press gently with your hands to help the breath out.

Three-part breathing

1. Place one hand on your lower belly and the other hand on your upper rib cage. 
2. As you breathe in, expand the belly first, then the lower rib cage, then the upper rib cage. 
3. Reverse the movement on the breath out.