Day 38- Rib Breath with Pelvis on Soft Ball

This exercise allows you to do the rib breath with your pelvis lifted away from the ground.  This places the body in a position that can facilitate increased breath capacity around the entire circumference of the ribcage.

To do this exercise you will need a soft ball and a mat.  Start by lying on your back with the soft ball under your sacrum, which elevates your pelvis away from the ground.  Your head and shoulders will be on the ground and your knees will be bent with your feet flat on the floor.  Begin the rib breath.  As you inhale ask the base of your ribcage to expand in all directions, and as you exhale ask your ribs to narrow towards your spine.

Things to think about

Expanding the ribcage in the back on the inhale can lengthen the tissues that are shortened in some standing postures.

Day 32-Rib Breath (Bucket Handle)

Rib Breath (Bucket Handle)

This exercise benefits many parts of the body and is essential to many Pilates exercises.  When incorporated in the Pilates abdominal strengthening exercises this breath pattern can prevent neck strain and spine compression.  It will also invigorate and energize the body.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying supine (on your back) with your knees bent and your feet planted in the ground.  As you inhale, let the breath expand the base of your ribcage.  Exhale let all of the air out feel the base of your ribcage narrow towards your spine.  Inhale expand the ribs, and exhale narrow the ribs. Repeat for 8-10 breaths.

Things to think about:

This breath is often called the bucket handle breath, which is an image for the movement of the ribs.  If you imagine the each rib is the handle on a bucket, on the inhale the bucket handle lifts and on the exhale the bucket handle moves back towards the bucket.

This exercise is also a great way to encourage length in the lumbar spine.  As you exhale the diaphragm releases up into the ribcage like a hot air balloon.  The diaphragm is fascially connected to the muscles that run along the front of the lumbar spine, and when you concentrate on exhaling completely the diaphragm will encourage length in these muscles.