This breath can be more intense with many people finding it causes light-headedness with only 1-5 breaths. To do: sit in an upright position with spine tall and feet firmly planted on the ground. Press shoulders down and back inhale pulling up from the crown of the head and as you exhale bend to the right lengthening the left side body and crunching in the right. Pull right shoulder to right hip keeping the shoulders broad and in line with the hips. Press down through the left hip into your seat, keeping the neck long, pulling the crown of your head towards the place where wall meets ceiling. Once in position very gently guide the sternum up towards the ceiling, you may feel a pulling in the left hip. IF there is pain back slowly out of the posture until it is only light pulling. Now breathe deeply through the left side body. The inhale should create an expansion through the left side rib cage. If you feel light-headed after one breath come back to a neutral seated posture take 3 basic breaths and repeat on the left side. If there is no light-headedness complete 3-5 breaths on each side with 3-5 basic breaths between switching sides. Work you way up to 10 breaths per side. Once you are able to complete 10 full breaths you can deepen the posture by bending to the side more and/or by deepening the twisting action of the sternum.

Building from the basic breath, the twisted breath is used to stretch the intercostal and spinal muscles providing more room for a full 360 diaphragmic breath. To do: from a seated position bring feet slightly wider than hip distance apart, firmly planted into the ground. Sitting up tall check your posture ensuring that knees are over ankles, shoulders over hips and ears are in alignment with shoulders, chin level to the ground. Slightly turn chest towards right knee (leading with the sternum). Do not twist as far as you can, the chest should be at a slight angle with the shoulders broad keep chin over sternum, do not turn the head. Inhale fully, exhale as you tuck the tailbone under pulling belly button in and up, flattening the lower spine. Inhale by releasing the tailbone back to a neutral position or if you have enough space in your body extend the tailbone out behind exaggerating the curvature of the lower back. Letting the abdomen expand out over the right thigh. Complete 5-10 breaths here then turn towards the left completing the same number of breaths. Please note that one side may be easier than the other. If this is the case, make sure to do the number of breaths that is easy on the harder side. i.e. if the left side feels tighter and you get fatigued after 5 breaths only do 5 breaths on the right side. Get to know your body. If your left side is tighter than start on this side so that you can keep the body even. As the muscles lengthen you can increase the range of motion and the number of breaths. Always working with the weakest side as the guide.

1. Sitting up tall, forward in your seat with ears inline with your shoulders and feet in-line with the hips practice moving the tailbone under and out behind while holding the chest, shoulders and head relatively steady. This is a gentle rolling of the hips forward and back. 2. Take a deep inhale and as you exhale roll the pelvis forward, tailbone tucks under, pulling belly button to spine, sucking the gut in as much as possible. 3. As you inhale come up to the starting posture, allowing the belly to fully expand over the thighs. 4. To deepen your inhale you can add a lower back spinal arch by sticking your tailbone out behind and exaggerating the protrusion of the belly over your thighs. Be careful not to stick the chest out. 5. The back and forth movement should originate at the hips, by tucking and untucking your tailbone/pelvis. 6. The slower you do this movement the deeper the breath is. 7. Practice this breath 1- 3 times per day until you are able to complete 5-10 minutes without light-headedness and with a steady breathing pattern.

To do this breath we sit in a “tucked” position, this is the exhale posture of the basic breath. Curl the tailbone under, feet hip distance apart, belly button pulled inward, neck long with chin slightly tucked, gaze just in front of your knees. Press shoulders down away from ears to target the back and keep chest still. As you exhale feel the body get smaller. Inhale by expanding across the shoulder blades pressing back with your thoracic spine. It is handy to have a second person the first time you try this exercise. Have them place a hand on your spine between the shoulder blades. As you inhale press into their hand and as you exhale feel your back shrink away from their hand. Complete 5-15 full breaths finish with 5 basic breaths to reset the spine and diaphragm.