Why do TVA Breathing?

This exercise will strengthen your TVA (Transverse Abdominal) and pelvic floor and prepare them for future core exercises.

TVA Breathing helps with:

• Increasing core stability and therefore reduce lower back pain.
• Awareness of your deep core muscles.
• Reducing your waist size by tightening your core muscles.
• Learning how to breathe deeply and correctly (which helps with sports, singing, swimming, etc.)

How to:

1. Start lying on your back with your knees bent like you are about to do some sit ups.
2. Breathe out deeply expanding your stomach. The first 2/3 of the breath should expand your stomach and the last 1/3 should expand your rib cage.
3. Breathe out sucking your stomach in. Imagine sucking your belly button through to your spine. At the same time imagine squeeze your pelvic floor (like you are holding on for number ones AND twos).
4. The breathing may feel backwards, but this is actually how we are meant to breathe.
5. You should feel your muscles tense in your lower abdominal area.
6. Hold your tummy in for 5 seconds before breathing in again and restarting from the start.
7. Remember to squeeze your pelvic floor as well.
8. Repeat this 10-20 times.