The pattern
Breathe out on the part that takes the most effort, and in as you return or prepare. It’s a default rather than a law, and we’ll sometimes reverse it on purpose to make an exercise harder.
The one thing to avoid is holding your breath. It raises the pressure through your middle and is the quickest way to turn a controlled movement into a tense one.
Keep thebreathmoving
Breathing wide, and why
You’ll hear us ask you to breathe into the sides and back of your ribs rather than pushing your tummy out. There’s a practical reason: if your middle is busy holding you steady, it can’t also be expanding on every breath in.
A good way to find it is to wrap your hands round your lower ribs and try to push your hands apart sideways as you breathe in. That’s the feeling.
When you lose it completely
Everyone does, especially when an exercise gets hard. Breathe however you need to, keep the movement controlled, and pick the pattern back up on the next one.