Enhance Your Pilates Practice: The Power of Hypopressive Breathing
If youāre obsessed with all things Pilates, you already know about the best athleisure, accessories, and self-care moments to incorporate into your practice. However, you may be less familiar with a type of breathwork that can improve your practice ā and help you feel more grounded. Enter hypopressive breathing, a deep breathing exercise that involves emptying your lungs completely. Itās similar to the uddiyana bandha in yoga (or an āabdominal lockā). āIt involves breathing in a way that creates a vacuum-like effect in your thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic cavities by decreasing the pressure, causing a lift and toning of the pelvic floor,ā says Anouska Shenn, a certified Pilates instructor and founder of The Office Yoga Company. But before we get into how to do it, let us clear up one thing: Donāt try any breath-holding exercises during your practice, since Pilates focuses on…