

Key Points:
Inhale breath leads to expansion in the ribcage and gentle expansion across the abdominal wall and down into the pelvic floor.
The exhale breath leads to a drawing up and drawing in of the abdominal wall (pelvic floor comes along for the ride) and ribcage.
You do not need to be doing a candles exhale all day. Change will happen from practicing the breath on your mat for a few minutes each day until you feel your core is becoming reflexive and then using the breath during your mindful movement moments each day.
The final B is bearing down – this is a strong pressure on your pelvic floor like you are evacuating something – a baby or a bowel movement. We want to bring awareness of when we are doing this and look to use the candles breath to repattern it over time.
Try not to grip or hold your pelvic floor either. The pelvic floor needs to be able to responsively react to your daily movement.
Key points:
- Inhale through the nose,
- Feel your lungs and the ribcage expand,
- The diaphragm moves down,
- The abdominal wall expands slightly; and
- The pelvic floor expands down gently.
- Candles exhale through the mouth,
- The abdominal wall/the core muscles draw in towards the spine
- At the same time, the pelvic floor is drawing up (not because you tell it to because it just does reflexively – or it will in time),
- The diaphragm releases up,
- The lungs deflate;
- And the ribs draw back together.
Now come back to the WhatsApp group and let me know how you got on!