Day 2: And breathe...

So yesterday was all about posture. We know that good posture makes us look, in the words of Daft Punk, harder, better, faster, stronger. And you can’t argue with that. But there’s more. 

From an anatomic perspective, good posture is also amazing for your breathing – by standing taller and opening up across the chest you give your diaphragm the space the space to do its thing properly. Deep, diaphragmatic breathing has been credited with aiding everything from reducing stress and anxiety to weight loss and increased feelings of confidence. I don’t know how rigorous the science is around those claims, but this much I do know: it feels wonderful. It gives you a few quiet minutes in the day to focus on the sound and sensation of your breath.

Try this today – as part of a Pilates warm up, or just as a couple of quiet meditative minutes. 

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground, on a mat or carpeted floor. You want a relatively firm surface underneath you, to feel the resistance of the ground as you relax into it. Probably not great on a bed, where snoozing may be the unavoidable outcome.

Inhale deeply through your nose. Feel your ribcage inflate as you draw breath into the lower lobes of the lungs. Exhale through your mouth, through slightly pursed lips, as if you’re blowing out candles. Exhale until all of the air has left your lungs, and your ribcage melts down into the mat beneath you. Repeat for a minute or two, or as long as it take for other distracting thoughts to be replaced by undivided concentration on your breathing, and the deeply relaxing sensation this brings.

Once you’ve established a slow and steady breathing rhythm, start to connect with your core muscles. As you exhale, draw up your pelvic floor and pull your belly button in towards your spine, creating a ‘corset’ sensation around your waist, as the transversus abdominus muscle (more of which later – one of the daddies of the Pilates muscles world) tightens around your core. Release as you inhale, and repeat for 10 breaths.

Oxygen hiiiiiiigh!