90/90 Diaphragmatic Breathing

Breathing · Foundation

Down-train pelvic floor tone and quiet the nervous system. The cornerstone of the whole programme.

Illustration: 90/90 Diaphragmatic Breathing. Lie on your back with your calves resting along a chair seat so the thighs are vertical and the shins horizontal, with hips and knees both at 90°. Inhale through the nose into the lower ribs and belly. Exhale slowly and let the jaw, belly, and pelvic floor soften downward.

Set yourself up

Lie on your back on a mat or rug.
Rest your calves along a chair or sofa seat so the thighs are vertical and the shins horizontal: hips and knees both at 90°.
Shuffle closer to or further from the chair until both angles look square.
Let your arms fall open. Soften the jaw and the tongue.

Move step by step

Inhale slowly through the nose for about 4 seconds: feel the lower ribs and belly widen.
Exhale through the nose for about 6 seconds.
On each exhale, let the jaw, belly, and pelvic floor soften downward.
Continue for 5 minutes. There is no goal beyond softening.

Breathing cue

Inhale 4s through nose · Exhale 6s · Soften on every exhale.

What to feel

Lower ribs widen sideways like an accordion.
Belly rises before the chest.
Pelvic floor lengthens gently downward on every exhale.
Sit bones feel a touch wider, the perineum slightly heavier.

Common mistakes

Lifting the chest instead of widening the lower ribs.
Holding the breath at the top or bottom.
Squeezing the buttocks or pelvic floor: this is a release, not a contraction.

If lying flat causes back discomfort, place a small pillow under the head. Stop if you feel light-headed.

Sources for this exercise

Pelvic floor down training, Chicago Pelvic Physical therapy for hypertonic pelvic floor relief

This is education, not medical treatment.

Pelvic Floor Power Up is general information. It is not a diagnosis, a treatment, or personalised medical advice, and it is no substitute for being assessed by a qualified professional. Nobody has examined you.

Talk to a doctor or pelvic-health physiotherapist before you start, particularly if you are pregnant or postnatal, have had pelvic surgery, or have been diagnosed with a prolapse.
Stop and seek advice if any exercise increases your pain, pressure or urinary symptoms.
Seek medical care promptly for blood in your urine or stool, fever, new inability to pass urine, numbness in the saddle area, or severe or rapidly worsening pain.

Read the full safety guidance and red flags →

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