The learning centre should be studied carefully to make sure you get the most from the next section

Topics Covered

- Pelvic Floor Anatomy

- Abdominal Muscles

- Diaphragm & Breathing

Exercise 5 - Sniff & Flop

  • Now we work further on the Flop exercise to include correct breathing. We are working towards the Sniff in becoming a trigger for a Flop of the stomach. In doing this we are building on the link between correct breathing and a relaxed pelvic floor.
  • We are aiming to let the stomach FLOP out as we breath in. This can be counter intuitive as we sometimes think of a breath in as drawing the stomach in.
  • By learning this exercise you are moving away from tense breathing towards 'Connective Breathing'

Exercise

4 Lie on your back with your knees bent up. (You can also do this exercise lying on your side)  
     
1 Palpate as described in Exercise 1 Palpation (click here to review)  
     
6 SNIFF in through the nose as if you are sniffing in when you have a cold, it must be loud but not so loud that it creates tension in your chest or abdomen.  
     
3 At the same time as you are sniffing in, FLOP out or fill up your soft abdomen, it must be completely soft.  
     
5 Practice this repeatedly on a daily basis until you feel you have mastered the technique. Take your time and do not rush.  
     

 

   4
 

Tips

1.The abdomen must remain completely soft throughout.

2. Don’t try too hard! The more relaxed you are as you perform the technique the more effective it is

3. If the Sniff becomes too dominant then it can take away from the feeling of anything else happening

4. The louder your Sniff the bigger the volume of air that goes in and the more that the diaphragm goes down. Also your tummy will flop more. These are all good signs.

 
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