A 5 minute deep breathing exercise that helps to practice moving the breath from the chest down into the abdomen.

All my shallow breathers out there, this is for you!

1. Abdominal or Diaphragmatic breathing
   ~Place one hand on your belly.
   ~As you inhale, inflate your belly into your hand.
   ~As you exhale, pull your belly button toward your spine, squeezing all the air out.

2. Thoracic breathing
   ~Place both hands on either side of your rib cage.
   ~As you inhale, inflate the ribs into your hands.
   ~As you exhale, let the ribs drop back into place.

3. Clavicular breathing
   ~Place one hand on your chest.
   ~As you inhale, lift your chest into your hand.
   ~As you exhale, let your chest return to its natural position.

Now to combine the 3 parts:

1. Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest.

2. Inhale to inflate your belly into your hand, keep inhaling to inflate your ribs, and use your last bits of inhale to lift your chest up.

3. Exhale, dropping your chest down, returning the ribs to their natural position, and finally pulling your belly button toward your spine.

4. Repeat 3-5 times to start. Gradually increase the number of breaths as you see fit for your practice.

5. Return to normal breath and observe your body.