Supine Diaphragm Belly Breathing

Nick Ortego

In this post:

Main Technique Points For Belly Breathing

  1. Focus on relaxing the abdominal wall and allowing the abdomen to expand in all directions.
  2. After you’ve got the abdomen moving and the upper rib cage relatively still, try engaging the pelvic floor. Those are the muscles you would use to stop yourself from urinating.
  3. At the end of each exhale, you can draw the navel in toward your spine to squeeze a little more air out. This will facilitate expansion of the abdomen on the next inhalation.

Author: Nick Ortego is the owner of N 2 Action, a wellness studio in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, offering personal training, health coaching, yoga, and assisted stretching.
Also find more on the Nick Ortego Fitness YouTube Channel

Transcript:
Hey it's Nick Ortego. I'm going to show
you how to do a breathing exercise that
allows you to use your diaphragm. It's
usually pretty relaxing and it's called
belly breathing, and we're gonna do it
supine. You can do this in any position
but on this video I'm gonna show you how
to do it lying down on your back.
Take one hand and place it on your
ribcage; other hand place it on the
abdomen. Then start to inhale and
exhale through the nose so it looks kind
of like this. As you can see, whenever I'm
inhaling my abdomen is rising and my
ribcage is remaining relatively still
and as I'm exhaling the abdomen is
sinking. Ribcage still remains
relatively still. As I'm doing this in
order to help activate the diaphragm a
little more and strengthen the pelvic
floor, I can engage the pelvic floor
muscles. So the pelvic floor muscles;
those are the muscles you would use if
you're trying to stop yourself from
going to the bathroom. If you're having
to hold it when you really need it to
urinate. So I'm holding those muscles and
then when I take that belly breath in I
can feel some pressurization in that
pelvic floor area, the muscles that keep
you from urinating and then back down on
the exhale. To take it to another level
at the end of each exhale
I can draw the belly button in
activating the transverse abdominis
muscle by drawing the belly button in
and squeezing the last little bit of air
out. So pelvic floor is engaged, inhale
let the belly expand on the inhale.
Exhale, let the belly retract on the
exhale. At the end of the exhale pull the
belly button in 
hollow out a little bit and it squeezes
the last little bit of air out. Give that 
a try for five to ten minutes. It will
enhance your breathing and relax your 
body and your mind. You've got any
benefit from this video, then leave a 
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or the regular YouTube channel, then
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