Body Ready Method®: 3D Rib Breathing for Pregnancy and Birth

Having trouble breathing deeply during your pregnancy? Do you feel upper body pain in your ribs, shoulder blades, or core? Do you feel added pressure on your pelvic floor, perhaps even experience incontinence? Well, according to research and Body Ready Method®, managing your IAP/IUP the Intra-Abdominal Pressure or Intra-Uterine Pressure, can help. As described in the Body Ready Method® approach, the body is a connected system, and addressing the whole system can help lesson or even resolve what might ordinarliy seen as a "normal pregnancy ailment". As a certified BRM pro®, I believe one of the most accessible place to start addressing the system as a whole, is with the breath.  

Body Ready Method® 3-D Breathing

Tools: 

Yoga strap or robe belt

Chair

Bolster/rolled up towel/pillow if chair is bucketed

Intstructions:

1. Sit upright with good posture on the Sitz Bones, relax rib cage down, and find a neutral pelvis. Netural pelvis means to not tuck or untuck your tail bone, your back straight, and your feet flat on the floor, straight forward. If you find yourself trying to make this happen by leaning too much, it might be a good idea to place a small rolled up towel under your sitz bones to bolster you comfortably. 

2. Wrap the strap around your rib cage. Hold end of straps, one in each hand, your left hand will be holding the right side of the end, and your right hand will be holding the left end of the strap. Hold the end in close enough to your rib cage so the strap is taught, but not tight. 

3. Inhale as long as you can into your rib cage. Allow your hands to move as the strap expands along with your rib cage, and then as it contracts back down as you exhale. Sustain your exhale as you imagine blowing out 30 candles. 

4. Notice your body. Do you want to breathe into your belly? This is very common. It's okay for your belly to expand a bit, but the focus of this exercise is utilize the 360 degrees of the underutilized rib cage where your diaphragm is! There is space between each rib, and the more we practice this, the more we can utilize it. You'll feel like you can release some pressure/pain in the ribs, feel fuller more satisfying breaths, and maybe even get to eat that full delicious dinner you've been dreaming of!

Repeat this exercise 20 times a day! 

Note: Inhale only to first point of tension, and then exhale slowly. The goal is to build tolerance from a functional space! The more you practice, the more functional space/movement you will have! Movement/mobility supports responsive muscles, muscles that lengthen and shorten on demand. We want to see muscles that are not too loose, not too tight - think, 'goldie locks' or 'lagom', the swedish word for "in balance", or "just the right amount"! 

Note 2: Do you feel pinching/clenching, bulging, bracing, bearing down? If you are noticing any of these, (the 3 B's), it may be a good idea to contact Melissa, any Body Ready Method® practicioner, or perhaps a pelvic floor specialist to work together to get the benefits of this beautiful exercise, and so you can incorporate it into your every day life, and into other BRM® Movements!

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