Yes, I have asthma!

I have had very mild asthma (exercise induced and allergy induced) since I was a child. I never let it stop me from doing anything, however. I ran marathons, lifted weights, participated in 200 mile endurance bike rides…I did intensive boxing, yoga, and Pilates.

I never experienced back pain, but I was always told in every Pilates class that I had a “rib flare,” that I needed to use my abs more to stabilize that mid-back (called the thoracolumbar junction, where the ribcage ends). I never had any instructor in any of the physical disciplines that I participated in address breathing (except the rare yoga class) in a meaningful way.

Pilates teachers emphasize the exhalation phase of breathing, but they are usually missing the point. They tell you to make the exhale stronger by using your mouth and your abdominals. I have since learned that there is scientific evidence that the nose only should be used for breathing. Breathing through the mouth gives off too much heat and moisture (which you need to perform physical activities).

So what what’s going on with my ribs? I had been practicing Pilates and teaching it for over 10 years when I learned that my diaphragm was untrained. IT IS A MUSCLE that needs training. It is NOT an organ. My diaphragm was not strong. It was atrophied and weak and it was not helping me perform Pilates exercises. It was actually making my workouts harder.

When you have asthma, you inhale more than you need to…this distends the lungs, extends the spine and flattens the diaphragm. The diaphragm is supposed to be a rounded spherical shape. Upon inhalation, the diaphragm is supposed to move downward. I was breathing through my mouth, holding my abs super tight (only breathing in my chest), and not really working the inner core. Sure, I had strong abs, but you couldn’t see them and I was always struggling to breathe a deeper exhalation. I was always struggling to “contain” my ribs that were popping forward, flaring out.

Once I started training my diaphragm by doing these three things, my results changed. I was:

• breathing only through my nose

• practicing cadence breathing everyday and during recovery from intense cardio,

• performing breath-holds to challenge my diaphragm control,

My posture, stamina, and physical appearance changed. My ribs no longer point forward and my abdomen sinks back when I round up into spinal flexion instead of puffing out like a bread loaf. This is why I am so passionate about diaphragmatic breathing, and I incorporate training the diaphragm with all my Pilates clients.

I am not unique though, many of my students either have asthma or anxiety and the do not breath properly- causing postural problems, low back (from weak diaphragms that create spinal instability) and neck pain (from overusing secondary breathing muscles in the neck). My students have experienced results similar to mine!