Just Breathe (Your Way to Better Core Strength!)

Are you a shallow breather? Turns out, most of us are.

Shallow breathing can greatly impact your respiratory muscles, create tension in the body, undermine your posture and compromise core stability. It’s important to practice deep-breathing exercises frequently to retrain the body. There are also plenty of core-specific exercises and other breathing techniques you can look into as well.

Let’s take a look at a simple one.

How-To: Core Strengthening Breathing Exercise

This easy breathing exercise can help strengthen the muscles in your abdomen and lower back—a great addition to any stretching routine!

1. To get started, lie down comfortably, feet flat with your knees bent. Make sure your lower back is flat on the floor and not arched.
Place your palms against your lower abdomen and inhale deeply, relaxing as you do so.
2. As you exhale, contract your muscles, sucking in your stomach like you’re pulling your belly button towards the spine.
3. Continue alternating between inhaling and exhaling, feeling the muscles tense and relax in your abdomen, pelvis and lower back.