Inspire Days 7-12. Visit this page for Part 1.
Click any image to see the full Reel on Instagram.
Day 7: Sternal Breath*
Today we are going to use a partially inflated courageous ball to help our ribcage find more mobility. This is building on the other explorations we’ve done so far, especially in the deflating breath
❄️ To begin, grab your coregeous/pilates ball and partially deflate it.
❄️ Lie with your sternum on top of the the ball – if this is too sensational, you can sit and just hold the ball against your sternum and do the same exploration.
❄️ Breathe in light and low through the nose and feel the ball against the sternum.
❄️ After 4 or 5 breaths, intentionally send your inhale into the area behind the sternum that the ball is touching. See if you can flatten the ball more with the breath.
❄️ After 4 or 5 more breaths, breathe in, hold the breath and contract the area around the sternum. Exhale and relax the engagement, letting the ball push in against the sternum. Finding mobility in this part of the body means we can expand the upper ribcage when breathing, which is different than elevating the upper ribcage (which is what we don’t want to do on the regular).
* if you are osteopenic or osteoporotic, please talk with your doctor before doing compressive breath work involving your ribcage.
Day 8: Rainbow Breathing*
Today we are going to use the breath to help find expansion in the side ribs.
❄️ To begin, roll up a yoga mat or grab a firm ball.
❄️ Lie over the rolled up mat with your left side on the mat, right side up.
❄️ First just notice how the mat/ball feels against the body. Make sure the sensation is tolerable.
❄️ Place your right hand on the right ribcage and see if you can feel expansion here as you breathe in, low and light through the nose.
❄️ After 4 or 5 breaths, raise your arm so it goes over the side of your head, bringing your finger tips to the floor, making an arc with your arm. Continue breathing into the right side, feeling for expansion.
❄️ Repeat everything with your right side against the mat/ball and your left arm moving over into the rainbow position.
* if you are osteopenic or osteoporotic, please talk with your doctor before doing compressive breath work involving your ribcage.
Day 9: Waterfall Inhale
Today we are going to use the breath to help find expansion in the upper ribcage and as a bonus you might also feel calmer after doing this.
❄️ To begin, lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor.
❄️ Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your upper chest. Just notice your breath.
❄️ Take a breath in through the nose that expands abdomen and side ribs. Exhale through the mouth as though you are trying to fog up a mirror. Get all the air out and feel the deep core engage.
❄️ Keep some tension in the deep core and divide your inhale into 3rds, and breathe in by sniffing 3 sniffs – remember keep the breath in light. Hold the breath in until you need to breathe out.
❄️ If you are able to keep the tension in your abdomen, the upper portion of your chest should expand (it might be only a little bit at first).
❄️ Repeat this over 5-10 slow breaths.
Day 10: Side Squish Breath
Today we are going back to the coregeous ball to find all kinds of delicious things in the body. With this practice you may find decompression of your low back, improved shoulder mobility, freedom in the neck AND a sense of breathing with more ease. That’s a lotta bang for your buck!
❄️ To begin, grab your coregeous ball and lie on your LEFT* side with it placed in the soft space between your ribcage and pelvis (it will overlap onto both of those structures and that’s fine!). Deflate the ball a bit if it feels too sensational
❄️ Start by breathing light and low through your nose, just noticing the sensation of the ball in your side.
❄️ Next intentionally send your breath into the side belly and try to smash the ball to the floor. As you exhale, allow the ball to push back into your side body. Do this 5-10 times
❄️ Next breathe in, sending air to the side belly and briefly hold the air in, tensing the core and then softening the tension and exhaling. Do this 5-10 times
❄️ You can also play with tilting and tucking the pelvis as you breathe
❄️ Repeat all of this on the right side.
*we start on the left side here to accommodate the digestive system. Don’t be surprised if this practice makes you toot!
Day 11: Open Book Breath
Today we are putting together some expansion work, looking for both apical (up at the top of the chest) and posterior (bottom ribcage) expansion.
❄️ To begin, stand against a door or wall with the back of your head, shoulders and lower ribs on the wall – your feet will be away from the wall, knees slightly bent.
❄️ Bring your arms as close together as they can be without forcing, at the midline of your body.
❄️ Breathe in light and low through the nose as you open your arms like a saguaro cactus. Don’t let your head, shoulders or lower ribs come off the wall.
❄️ Don’t force your arms to open wider than they can go. Honor the limits of your body here.
❄️ Exhale and bring the arms back together.
❄️ Repeat 5-10 times, breathing in and seeing if you can sense expansion in the upper chest and feel the lower ribs press into the wall behind you.
You may notice that one arm can open farther than the other. Bonus points if you pay attention to what your pelvic floor is doing as you explore this breath!
Day 12: Balloon Breath
Today we are using a balloon to explore getting air into the upper right chest and help the left ribs move into a more exhaled position. Stretch your balloon out and blow it up a few times before you try this exercise, to make it a bit easier!
❄️ To begin, lie on your back and place your heels on the seat of a chair or a piano bench and press them into the bench to activate your hamstrings (did you know they are a set of muscles that really help you breathe with more ease?)
❄️ Place the balloon in your mouth and extend your right arm overhead on the floor, angled slightly away from your head. Place your left hand on your lower left front ribs.
❄️ Breathe in light and low through the nose and exhale into the balloon to blow it up.
❄️ As you breathe in, feel air move into the upper right chest.
❄️ As you exhale, feel the left ribs come down – many of us have a greater flare of the ribs on the left side.
❄️ Repeat 5-10 times, letting the air out of the balloon each time.
