So helpful, the final rib stretch explains what to do perfectly. I am new to your channel and feeling so fortunate, lucky and excited to have found you. I trawled and searched the internet/TH-cam for hypopressive information and videos last August, I got so lost and disheartened I gave up on hypopressives as I wasn't sure I was doing them properly and didn't want to cause myself any harm. I continued with PT exercises only. I was right to stop, after watching your videos I now realise I was doing them wrong. Looking forward to starting my hypopressive journey again now with you. A huge thank you for your channel and videos x
Hello Alice. Many thanks for clarifying the Hypopressive exercise in such a concise and precise manner. It has been very helpful! Also, I appreciate your calm presence. 🌸
First time trying this. The focus on feeling the ribs stretch was great...was aware of my abdomen lifting but the hands on my ribs were the primary guide.
Lovely, keep your tummy soft before the rib stretch and let the rib stretch do the work. You'll feel your tummy engaging involuntarily, normally feels like light tugging just below the ribs!
This was really very helpful and really breaks down the breathing, which I find so difficult sometimes, having followed some of your 30 days. It's so kind of you to spend so much time putting these videos together. Thank you so much. x
You're welcome Heather! Just really glad they have been helpful for you. There are some more videos coming soon with in depth teaching on the hypopressives breathwork and some easier flows too x
Hi Alice, thank you so much for such clear and detailed instructions. I had a hysterectomy about a year ago and unfortunately now struggling with vaginal vault dropping and possibly other prolapse issues. I haven't had much luck in finding a good PT for my issues and so decided to just do personal research and that's how I found you! I'm learning to do proper kegels while also focusing on the surrounding muscle groups (glutes, inner thighs, etc). But I'm wondering how to incorporate hypopressive exercises along with other prolapse exercises - how often should I do hypopressive exercises in a week? I understand that overworking the pelvic floor could have adverse affects. Thank you so much!!
Hi Kai, sorry to hear you've got recurring prolapse issues. We work with women post-surgery like yourself, but all one-to-one, as there are a lot of things to consider when optimising improvements with hypopressives when you've already had surgery. We find hypopressives are effective for most women following recurrence after surgery, often alongside pelvic floor muscles training, but I would definitely recommend working one-to-one with myself or one of my team if you want to get the most out of the technique and have a tailored programme optimised for you. I know not all women have the means to work with us one-to-one, so if you want to learn yourself, I would recommend booking an hour taster session so your breath work can be checked, then you could start with the beginners playlist, staying with each videos until you feel confident before moving onto the flows (in the beginners playlist). From there you can start trying some of the other easy videos. I would also recommend persevering in finding a women's health physio who can give you advise and support. Alice x
Great video! You say not to exhale further, trying to get all the air out. So, do you just exhale the same length of time as the 2 previous exhales then stop and hold your breath? (Another instructor said you need to get all the air out, so have to carry on exhaling to get all the air out).
So don't push all the air out, it's commonly taught in hypopressives, but the results are not as good as a shorter exhale for pelvic health. Best to have a taster sessions to check your technique if you're at all unsure!
Hello mam....Here in India noone is aware of hypopressives....For a person like me you are an 😇 (Angel) ...I am diagnosed with uterine prolapse and heard good reviews about hypopressives which can heal prolapse...So looking for these exercises.. hopefully it will help
Hi Rinu, I’m pretty sure hypopressives stem from yoga, in particular ‘vacuum breathing’ in yoga practice. You may find some yoga teachers in India also to support your journey also. I’ve found Alice’s videos very helpful too, blessings ❤
Hi Angela, hopefully if you go through the first few videos in the beginners playlist that will help you get the basics of the technique. It can be tricky to learn on your own - so do get in touch with one of our team if you're having difficulties!
Hi Alice, thank you so much for all the videos - this is SO helpful!! One issue I have is that in that last breath in ( after holding it) I tend to open my mouth and directly put air in my tummy... I need to be really focus to do the last inhale via the nose... But will keep trying! Thanks again
Hi Sara, you could try holding for a shorter amount of time and if you have your hands around your rib cage you can focus on breathing into your hands on the inhale after you've held your breath :)
Thankyou Alice, very clear video. Just wondering what should the rest of body and pelvic floor be doing when you take that first inhale after ribstretch? Thankyou
Hey, thanks for your question! Just carry on holding the pose and your pelvic floor with just move with the breath rather than you doing anything consciously if that makes sense?!
You’re presence is sooo calming! I am total newbie question. On the final exhale when you exhale and you move your rib cage out, are you also slightly “sucking in” your tummy?
Great to have you here - thanks for watching! Nope, there's no conscious sucking in of the tummy area - this is an involuntary action, which happens during the rib stretch. Internally it will probably feel like a tugging at the top of the tummy area or a lift in the pelvic floor area, depending on the pose. Hope that helps?
Hi Sebastian, after the cycles of inhaling and exhaling 3 times, you need to pause, relax your belly and stretch your ribs sideways, almost as if you're breathing in but without letting air in. The belly draws / sucks in automatically with the pressure reduction in the pelvic and tummy area, when you stretch your ribs sideways. Hope that helps!
Yes, trying to push all the air out may put downwards pressure on the pelvic floor briefly, before the lift of the pelvic floor with the vacuum. This 'over-exhaling' can result in minimal or no improvement in symptoms. It's still unlikely to make things feel worse, and if this happened would only be temporary. When we cough, for example, we are also putting downwards pressure on the pelvic floor and some people find coughing or a prolonged cough will temporarily make their symptoms feel worse. There are several different ways to teach the hyporpessives breathwork. We teach the specific way described here which we've found to be highly beneficial for pelvic floor / prolapse symptoms and have recently published a service evaluation with our results for prolapse symptoms. Hope that helps! Alice
Im sure some other instructors say to do a fake breath in to rib stretch for apnea? You say that the vacume will happen naturally? Have i got that right...thanks Alice
Hey there, you can either initiate the vacuum / apnea with a false inhale i.e. close your nose and throat and mimic a breath in without actually breathing in / or initiate it with an active rib stretch or opening - so moving the ribs consciously sideways. I'll teach an active rib stretch rather than the false inhale the majority of the time when I'm working with clients as I prefer using this method to initiate the vacuum. It just feels better somehow. The false inhale can often end up being more in the upper rib cage and shoulders if not coached well, so if you're using this method to initiate the vacuum then focus on starting the false inhale at the lower part of the ribs rather than in the upper chest if that makes sense, and keeping your shoulders down. Hope that's helpful! Alice 💙
I'm trying to learn hypopressives but I'm not quite getting what you're doing here. Are you inhaling, exhaling, holding your breath, pushing out the ribs by pulling in your tummy while still holding the breath? Is that right? I'm only feeling my ribs moving when I inhale or exhale. When I hold my breath I can't get my ribs to move. Even when I pull in my tummy those stubborn ribs of mine are staying put. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 😊
Hi Helen, so there are 3 inhales and exhales (as explained in terms of length of breath). Then, when you've exhaled for the third time, you hold your breath (after you've breathed out), pause, soften and then stretch your ribs sideways - without breathing in. This creates the vacuum! Then your breath in to release the vacuum. Sometimes practicing the rib movement you're struggling with can help - just focusing on using your intercostal muscles to move your ribs sideways (rather than your belly) and then relax a few times can help (without doing anything breathwise). You don't want to pull your tummy in consciously, this comes with the rib stretch - essentially a suction so the belly pulls in automatically. Hope that helps!
Just heard about hypopressives for the first time. Breathing question? Why the open mouth on the exhale. I'm working so hard to only use my nose for breathing. Is there a reason not to exhale through the nose?
Hi Holly, great to have you here - are you trying to do nose breathing more generally in daily life then? Benefits of exhaling through your mouth are that you are more likely to relax your jaw which is important (tight jaw can = tight pelvic floor), and also as the poses get harder, it can be difficult to keep the exhale through your nose without getting out of breath. Hope that makes sense, Alice
What is the difference between when you first taught the "wiggled/moved" your ribs into your hands versus when you actually demonstrated the hypopressive movement and the vacuum occurred? Why didn't the vacuum occur when you moved your ribs versus the vacuum occurring later? Is it the absence of air on exhale? Are you pulling in and up? Are you relaxing abdomen?
Hey there, the wiggle of the ribs as a practise is just to help with the proprioception for the rib stretch. The vaccum occurs after the 3rd exhale, pause, close off the mouth and nose and then stretch / open the ribs. The rib stretch causes an involuntary contraction of the pelvic floor and core and the vaccum (appearance of the belly moving in) is due to the pressure changes with the exhale and rib stretch. Tummy is relaxed during the rib stretch - no pulling in and up for hypopressives for pelvic health. Hope that's helpful!
Hi Helen, yes - 3 x inhale and exhale, then hold your breath, stretch your ribs (while still holding your breath, like inhaling but without breathing in). Hope that helps!
Hello, at one point in your video you say something about not continuing pushing out your breath and I can't quite understand what you're saying. Are you saying that that can cause post pressure in the pelvic area? What does that mean? Thanks for your videos
Hello, yes - if you exhale too hard or for too long, you can put pressure downwards - it's unlikely to cause any problems, just that you'll find the symptoms improvements you'll get will probably be limited. We find women get better symptoms improvements when they have a shorter exhale and don't try to exhale all the air. Hope that helps!
Hi Amanda, welcome! Yes - you exhale for the third time and then hold your breath - and then keep holding your breath for the rib stretch. Then breath in when you feel you feel the urge to breathe in. Hope that helps! Alice
Thanks for your message and sorry to hear you are struggling - I'd suggest you have a chat with myself or one of my coaches to see how we can help you in your postnatal recovery - you can get in touch via my website. Congratulations on your baby!
Hello - welcome! So it's important that it's not a conscious pulling in of your belly - but you should feel a sort of tugging / pulling in at the top of your tummy as you relax the belly and stretch your ribs (particularly if you do the breath work sitting up). The tugging feeling comes as an involuntary movement as everything is drawing in, in the belly area. Hope that helps. The video on how to know you're doing it correctly is a good one to watch. Alice x
Really well explained, thank you! I do find the rib stretch easier to understand than the false breath. Good cue!
Thanks Jody! Welcome to our little hypopressives community!!
Fantastic but I'm so out of shape I am dizzy after two breaths but I will continue to work on it.❤ Thank you so much ❤
So helpful, the final rib stretch explains what to do perfectly. I am new to your channel and feeling so fortunate, lucky and excited to have found you. I trawled and searched the internet/TH-cam for hypopressive information and videos last August, I got so lost and disheartened I gave up on hypopressives as I wasn't sure I was doing them properly and didn't want to cause myself any harm. I continued with PT exercises only. I was right to stop, after watching your videos I now realise I was doing them wrong. Looking forward to starting my hypopressive journey again now with you. A huge thank you for your channel and videos x
So glad you're here Katrina, and that you found the video helpful! Thank you for your lovely message x
Thank you I need to try this for my bladder prolapse
Welcome! Sorry to hear you've got a prolapse, I manage my prolapse with hypopressives and they are amazing at relieving symptoms! Alice x
Hello Alice. Many thanks for clarifying the Hypopressive exercise in such a concise and precise manner. It has been very helpful! Also, I appreciate your calm presence. 🌸
Thank you so much, and welcome to my channel!
First time trying this. The focus on feeling the ribs stretch was great...was aware of my abdomen lifting but the hands on my ribs were the primary guide.
Lovely, keep your tummy soft before the rib stretch and let the rib stretch do the work. You'll feel your tummy engaging involuntarily, normally feels like light tugging just below the ribs!
This was really very helpful and really breaks down the breathing, which I find so difficult sometimes, having followed some of your 30 days. It's so kind of you to spend so much time putting these videos together. Thank you so much. x
You're welcome Heather! Just really glad they have been helpful for you. There are some more videos coming soon with in depth teaching on the hypopressives breathwork and some easier flows too x
Hi Alice, thank you so much for such clear and detailed instructions. I had a hysterectomy about a year ago and unfortunately now struggling with vaginal vault dropping and possibly other prolapse issues. I haven't had much luck in finding a good PT for my issues and so decided to just do personal research and that's how I found you! I'm learning to do proper kegels while also focusing on the surrounding muscle groups (glutes, inner thighs, etc). But I'm wondering how to incorporate hypopressive exercises along with other prolapse exercises - how often should I do hypopressive exercises in a week? I understand that overworking the pelvic floor could have adverse affects. Thank you so much!!
Hi Kai, sorry to hear you've got recurring prolapse issues. We work with women post-surgery like yourself, but all one-to-one, as there are a lot of things to consider when optimising improvements with hypopressives when you've already had surgery. We find hypopressives are effective for most women following recurrence after surgery, often alongside pelvic floor muscles training, but I would definitely recommend working one-to-one with myself or one of my team if you want to get the most out of the technique and have a tailored programme optimised for you. I know not all women have the means to work with us one-to-one, so if you want to learn yourself, I would recommend booking an hour taster session so your breath work can be checked, then you could start with the beginners playlist, staying with each videos until you feel confident before moving onto the flows (in the beginners playlist). From there you can start trying some of the other easy videos. I would also recommend persevering in finding a women's health physio who can give you advise and support. Alice x
Very well explained. Thank you!
You're very welcome!
Sehr gut erklärt! Danke
Thanks Marion! :)
Thank you 🎉😊 !! What I should do for my lower belly is always a little fat.
Lovely to have you here Diana :)
Great instructions...had a eureka moment!
Brilliant - well done!
Great video! You say not to exhale further, trying to get all the air out. So, do you just exhale the same length of time as the 2 previous exhales then stop and hold your breath?
(Another instructor said you need to get all the air out, so have to carry on exhaling to get all the air out).
So don't push all the air out, it's commonly taught in hypopressives, but the results are not as good as a shorter exhale for pelvic health. Best to have a taster sessions to check your technique if you're at all unsure!
Hello mam....Here in India noone is aware of hypopressives....For a person like me you are an 😇 (Angel) ...I am diagnosed with uterine prolapse and heard good reviews about hypopressives which can heal prolapse...So looking for these exercises.. hopefully it will help
Great to have you here Rinu - so glad these will be helpful for you!
Hey how r u
Kia apko hypopressive exercises Kuch fark para plz reply
Hi Rinu, I’m pretty sure hypopressives stem from yoga, in particular ‘vacuum breathing’ in yoga practice. You may find some yoga teachers in India also to support your journey also.
I’ve found Alice’s videos very helpful too, blessings ❤
Thank you so much for this video!!
You are so welcome! :)
Please explain how to engage the hypopressive movement\vacuum.?
Hi Angela, hopefully if you go through the first few videos in the beginners playlist that will help you get the basics of the technique. It can be tricky to learn on your own - so do get in touch with one of our team if you're having difficulties!
Hi Alice, thank you so much for all the videos - this is SO helpful!! One issue I have is that in that last breath in ( after holding it) I tend to open my mouth and directly put air in my tummy... I need to be really focus to do the last inhale via the nose... But will keep trying! Thanks again
Hi Sara, you could try holding for a shorter amount of time and if you have your hands around your rib cage you can focus on breathing into your hands on the inhale after you've held your breath :)
Ahh this is a Great tipp! Keep the hands there! Thanks!!
Thankyou Alice, very clear video. Just wondering what should the rest of body and pelvic floor be doing when you take that first inhale after ribstretch? Thankyou
Hey, thanks for your question! Just carry on holding the pose and your pelvic floor with just move with the breath rather than you doing anything consciously if that makes sense?!
You’re presence is sooo calming! I am total newbie question. On the final exhale when you exhale and you move your rib cage out, are you also slightly “sucking in” your tummy?
Great to have you here - thanks for watching! Nope, there's no conscious sucking in of the tummy area - this is an involuntary action, which happens during the rib stretch. Internally it will probably feel like a tugging at the top of the tummy area or a lift in the pelvic floor area, depending on the pose. Hope that helps?
when you relax rib cage is that the same think as vacuum/suck in your belly?
Hi Sebastian, after the cycles of inhaling and exhaling 3 times, you need to pause, relax your belly and stretch your ribs sideways, almost as if you're breathing in but without letting air in. The belly draws / sucks in automatically with the pressure reduction in the pelvic and tummy area, when you stretch your ribs sideways. Hope that helps!
@@hypopressiveswithalice Alright thanks.
Awesome video! Thanks Alice!!
Thank you - so glad you enjoyed it!
So would exhaling more, trying to get every last bit of air out put pressure on your pelvic floor and make a prolapse worse?
Yes, trying to push all the air out may put downwards pressure on the pelvic floor briefly, before the lift of the pelvic floor with the vacuum. This 'over-exhaling' can result in minimal or no improvement in symptoms. It's still unlikely to make things feel worse, and if this happened would only be temporary. When we cough, for example, we are also putting downwards pressure on the pelvic floor and some people find coughing or a prolonged cough will temporarily make their symptoms feel worse. There are several different ways to teach the hyporpessives breathwork. We teach the specific way described here which we've found to be highly beneficial for pelvic floor / prolapse symptoms and have recently published a service evaluation with our results for prolapse symptoms. Hope that helps! Alice
@hypopressiveswithalice Thank you Alice. Where can I see this service evaluation? Would really love if hypopressives could help me.
@@Wdw-y9h You're welcome! It's at www.alicehousman.co.uk/hypopressives-service-evaluation
Im sure some other instructors say to do a fake breath in to rib stretch for apnea? You say that the vacume will happen naturally? Have i got that right...thanks Alice
Hey there, you can either initiate the vacuum / apnea with a false inhale i.e. close your nose and throat and mimic a breath in without actually breathing in / or initiate it with an active rib stretch or opening - so moving the ribs consciously sideways. I'll teach an active rib stretch rather than the false inhale the majority of the time when I'm working with clients as I prefer using this method to initiate the vacuum. It just feels better somehow. The false inhale can often end up being more in the upper rib cage and shoulders if not coached well, so if you're using this method to initiate the vacuum then focus on starting the false inhale at the lower part of the ribs rather than in the upper chest if that makes sense, and keeping your shoulders down. Hope that's helpful! Alice 💙
I'm trying to learn hypopressives but I'm not quite getting what you're doing here. Are you inhaling, exhaling, holding your breath, pushing out the ribs by pulling in your tummy while still holding the breath? Is that right? I'm only feeling my ribs moving when I inhale or exhale. When I hold my breath I can't get my ribs to move. Even when I pull in my tummy those stubborn ribs of mine are staying put. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 😊
Hi Helen, so there are 3 inhales and exhales (as explained in terms of length of breath). Then, when you've exhaled for the third time, you hold your breath (after you've breathed out), pause, soften and then stretch your ribs sideways - without breathing in. This creates the vacuum! Then your breath in to release the vacuum. Sometimes practicing the rib movement you're struggling with can help - just focusing on using your intercostal muscles to move your ribs sideways (rather than your belly) and then relax a few times can help (without doing anything breathwise). You don't want to pull your tummy in consciously, this comes with the rib stretch - essentially a suction so the belly pulls in automatically. Hope that helps!
When u breath in after vacuume is it through nose or mouth xx
@@hypopressiveswithalice thanks for the reply. I will try what you suggested, that was helpful 😊
Just heard about hypopressives for the first time. Breathing question? Why the open mouth on the exhale. I'm working so hard to only use my nose for breathing. Is there a reason not to exhale through the nose?
Hi Holly, great to have you here - are you trying to do nose breathing more generally in daily life then? Benefits of exhaling through your mouth are that you are more likely to relax your jaw which is important (tight jaw can = tight pelvic floor), and also as the poses get harder, it can be difficult to keep the exhale through your nose without getting out of breath. Hope that makes sense, Alice
What is the difference between when you first taught the "wiggled/moved" your ribs into your hands versus when you actually demonstrated the hypopressive movement and the vacuum occurred? Why didn't the vacuum occur when you moved your ribs versus the vacuum occurring later? Is it the absence of air on exhale? Are you pulling in and up? Are you relaxing abdomen?
Hey there, the wiggle of the ribs as a practise is just to help with the proprioception for the rib stretch. The vaccum occurs after the 3rd exhale, pause, close off the mouth and nose and then stretch / open the ribs. The rib stretch causes an involuntary contraction of the pelvic floor and core and the vaccum (appearance of the belly moving in) is due to the pressure changes with the exhale and rib stretch. Tummy is relaxed during the rib stretch - no pulling in and up for hypopressives for pelvic health. Hope that's helpful!
Do u hold your breath on vacuum?
Hi Helen, yes - 3 x inhale and exhale, then hold your breath, stretch your ribs (while still holding your breath, like inhaling but without breathing in). Hope that helps!
Hello, at one point in your video you say something about not continuing pushing out your breath and I can't quite understand what you're saying. Are you saying that that can cause post pressure in the pelvic area? What does that mean? Thanks for your videos
Hello, yes - if you exhale too hard or for too long, you can put pressure downwards - it's unlikely to cause any problems, just that you'll find the symptoms improvements you'll get will probably be limited. We find women get better symptoms improvements when they have a shorter exhale and don't try to exhale all the air. Hope that helps!
Hope many reps and how often should this be done. Thank you
Hey there, this is just an intro video on the basics of the hypopressives breathwork! Hope it's helpful :)
Are you holding your breath when you do the final rib move?
Hi Amanda, welcome! Yes - you exhale for the third time and then hold your breath - and then keep holding your breath for the rib stretch. Then breath in when you feel you feel the urge to breathe in. Hope that helps! Alice
@hypopressiveswithalice do you 5hen breath in through your mouth
Hi … I have a lower back pain from last 8 months .. I delivered a baby 8 months ago .. someone suggest me your page … need help plz
Thanks for your message and sorry to hear you are struggling - I'd suggest you have a chat with myself or one of my coaches to see how we can help you in your postnatal recovery - you can get in touch via my website. Congratulations on your baby!
Should i be feeling a "sucking in" of the tummy when im expanding my ribs?
Hello - welcome! So it's important that it's not a conscious pulling in of your belly - but you should feel a sort of tugging / pulling in at the top of your tummy as you relax the belly and stretch your ribs (particularly if you do the breath work sitting up). The tugging feeling comes as an involuntary movement as everything is drawing in, in the belly area. Hope that helps. The video on how to know you're doing it correctly is a good one to watch. Alice x
Do we hold our breath as long as we can?
Just for a comfortable length of time - definitely avoid coming out gasping!!
Thank you amazing
So glad you enjoyed it!
What about flexing the fee and put in the hand in that hulahoop position?
This comes later in the series! :)
Hardest part was trying to sit up straight
Hello and welcome! To make sitting pose easier, you can sit on a yoga block / pile of books, a small table or even in a normal chair is fine 👍🏻
I live in the US and this is not taugh here
I know, crazy hey?! I have worked online with lots of ladies in the US
Omg way way way too much talking
I've got to explain it somehow 😂