Breath & ribcage
90/90 Hip Lift Breathing
Quiet the breath so the low back can stop bracing.
Why we use it
When the breath only lifts the chest, the neck and low back stay tense. This position makes that easy to feel and change.
Start here
On your back, heels on a wall, hips and knees bent at right angles. Gently tuck the tailbone until the low back rests on the floor. One hand on the lower ribs.
How to
- 1Lie on your back. Put your heels on a wall. Hips and knees bent at right angles (like a chair on its side).
- 2Gently tuck your tailbone so the low back rests on the floor. Do not jam it down.
- 3One hand on the lower ribs, one on the belly.
- 4Breathe out until the ribs drop. Pause. Breathe in without lifting the chest or shrugging.
- 5If the neck helps you breathe, take a smaller breath in. A quiet shape matters more than a big breath.
Feel for
Low back resting on the floor. Lower ribs moving out to the sides. Neck doing nothing.
Breathing
Breathe in through the nose into the sides and back of the ribs. Breathe out through the mouth until empty. Pause two seconds. Let the next breath in come without lifting the chest.
Do this
- — Breathe in through the nose into the back and sides of the ribs — not the neck.
- — Breathe out fully until the ribs drop and the low back stays heavy.
- — Pause two seconds at empty. Let the next breath in arrive without lifting the chest.
Common mistakes
- — Lower ribs popping up as you breathe in.
- — Squeezing the buttocks to pin the low back down, instead of breathing out.
- — Shrugging the neck to “get more air.”
Regression · Progression
Easier: Put the feet on the floor, knees bent, and only practice the long breath out.
Harder: On the breath out, reach lightly toward the ceiling without letting the ribs pop up.