Getting 6-pack abs is more about what you eat than doing loads of sit-ups, but I won’t go down that rabbit hole! You will learn what your core consists of and how air and pressure regulation (aka breathing) are key to a strong and functional core. It’s critical!Especially if you’re pregnant, postpartum, current or past injury or pain, pelvic floor issues, diastasis recti..
Learn how the breath works.
I really can’t stress this enough! Every person can benefit MASSIVELY from gaining better breath awareness. We do it all day everyday without even having to think about it. But many people are unaware of the HOW to breath well. Often you might just be told to ‘take a deeper/longer breath’. However, people can be stuck in chronic tightness that makes it difficult to access bigger breaths. Too often we hold excess tension in our torso and core to create ‘stability’ or look better by sucking in our guts. If we hold this excess tension and tightening it makes it difficult to breathe well.
Do you feel anxious and nervous often? Breathing better can help you. I’ve got a few exercises peppered in the various days to help you access better breath.
Let’s take a look at what breathing better means in every day life. Decrease stress Relax your mind and body Help you sleep better Improve focus Breathing well activates the parasympathetic nervous system of ‘rest and digest’. This also helps with digestive issues as deep breathing massages your internal organs and more.
Learn core breathing.
This teaches you how to properly engage your core. Rather than bracing or breath holding. It can be more challenging and might need some repetition and reinforcement for the brain’s neural pathways, but it is essential. This is safe to do prenatal and first thing you can do postpartum to help you connect to your center. We’ll go more in detail about core breathing as we move along the days, but if it is challenging for you.. Keep at it! Watch the video a few times and know it can take some time to find this connection.
Join me for Day 2 of the Core Challenge!
P.S Do you have questions or comments? You can comment on the youtube video and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can, alternatively you can email me directly at melanie@yogaandmel.com.