Here is how I used to breathe:
Here is how I breathe now:
And, this shift made the most significant change in my body 👇🏻
→ My posture has improved significantly
→ I began activating my glutes differently
→ I effortlessly continue nose breathing on long hikes without feeling the need to open my mouth or have a dry mouth
→The residue of my post-concussion symptoms began diminishing
→ My spine has never been this mobile, no lower back stiffness in the morning
→My jaw tension has reduced significantly
→ I rarely have anxiety
→ Feeling that my body weight is more equally distributed on my feet
To just name a few!
Shifting your breathing from belly breath (demonstrated in the first video) to expanding your ribs 360 degrees (back and ribs to the left and right) can be especially helpful for those who have flared-up ribs. Ideally, you want to reach a long exhale of 8 seconds, but you can start anywhere so you can transition to the next inhale slowly (not rushed).
For me, though, I didn’t flare up my rib, but what I did instead was compress my spine to keep the rib down, and this breathing practice still helped me change a pattern that I perhaps learned at a young age.
After observing the miracle that proper breathing can initiate in our bodies, I wonder how many injuries could’ve been prevented by improving our breathing and why we are never taught these in school.
And I hope this blog be the invitation you need to explore your most valuable tool, your breath, a little or a lot more. Read this blog to learn about my 3 top breathing practices.
And always happy to have you try our zoom weekly movement sessions here.
Feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions.
Be mov〰ful,
Hedi