Breathing: Pilates moves for Early Postpartum that you can do with Baby

POSTNATAL

One of the best exercises to start post baby is breathing. This sets the stage for restoring the core, connecting to the mind and treating our bodies with love, grace and care it deserves. You can start breathing straight away! Diaphragmatic breathing involves taking deep breaths into the belly, which can help promote relaxation, reduce stress, and improve core strength.The answer to postpartum recovery may be how you breathe… Just breathe, mumma. x

BREATHING 101

What is Belly Breathing?

Diaphragmatic breathing, also known as belly breathing, is a technique where you breathe deeply using your diaphragm—the dome-shaped muscle under your lungs—rather than taking shallow breaths using your chest. This style of breathing encourages a full exchange of oxygen, which calms your nervous system and supports the body’s natural relaxation response.

How to correctly breathe?

Diaphragmatic breathing can be performed in any position, but it is easiest to practice while lying on your back with knees bent. Start by placing one hand on your abdomen and the other hand on your chest.

Place one hand to your chest and the other hand to your lower belly.


1. Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose. As you inhale, allow your belly to expand out against your hand.

2. Exhale slowly through your mouth, letting the air out all the way. As you exhale, feel your belly slowly return.

3. Continue this pattern, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Take your time with each breath, and let your belly rise and fall. Aim for a slow and steady rhythm at a pace that feels comfortable to you. Usually 2-3 seconds on the inhale and 4 seconds on the exhale feels good.

Example:

CORE RECOVERY: Connect with your breath, activate your deep transverse abdominal and rebuild your core.

TIP: Placing one hand onto your belly and one on your upper chest is helpful feedback. You want your belly to rise on your inhale (not your chest).

Does your chest want to rise? This is a common compensatory breathing pattern we fall into when stressed. It’s contributes to shoulder and neck stiffness. It’s good to circle back to this throughout your days and notice when you start to breathe into the accessory muscles.

EXERCISES

BREATHING EXERCISE 1:

Try “Box Breathing” for stress reduction, grounding and activating the parasympathetic nervous system. “Box Breathing” consists of the same number of counts during your inhale as your exhale with an added pause at the peak of the inhale and valley of the exhale.

  • Inhale for Four Counts – 1,2,3,4
  • Pause for Four Counts – 1,2,3,4
  • Exhale for Four Counts – 1,2,3,4
  • Pause for Four Counts – 1,2,3,4
  • Repeat this cycle 4 times

🤍 This rhythmic breathing practice can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system (the one that makes you feel calm).

BREATHING EXERCISE 2:

Use “Diaphragmatic breathing” throughout your day.

  • 10 breath Cycles before bed
  • 10 breath cycles in the morning
  • When baby cries
  • When you feel overwhelmed

🤍 Adding deep breathing to your daily routines may improve your physical, mental and emotional health, help activate your parasympathetic nervous system (the one that makes you feel calm).

BENEFITS of breathing

Why Diaphragmatic Breathing Is Key to Postpartum Recovery

Diaphragmatic breathing, or deep belly breathing, is a gentle yet powerful technique that helps restore strength, reduce stress, and promote healing in a way that honours what your body has been through. Here’s why it’s such a game-changer for postpartum recovery:

  • Reduce pain, Improve Posture: The breath helps release tension in the shoulders, neck, and upper back, where many new mothers hold stress. This can help improve posture, which may have been affected by the physical demands of pregnancy and carrying a baby.

  • Rebuilds Core & Pelvic Floor Strength: Pregnancy and birth can stretch and weaken the core and pelvic floor muscles, and jumping into heavy exercise too soon can lead to strain or injury. Diaphragmatic breathing is a safe way to reconnect with these muscles, gently activating and strengthening them with each breath.

  • Improve Sleep and Boosts Energy: Diaphragmatic breathing can improve sleep quality by calming the nervous system, helping you get deeper rest even if sleep is broken. Better sleep supports faster healing, lifts your mood, and gives you more energy to take on each day.
  • Promotes Blood Flow and Healing: Deep breathing improves circulation and helps deliver oxygen and nutrients to healing tissues. It also supports lymphatic drainage, reducing swelling and helping the body remove toxins—crucial for postpartum recovery.
  • Relieves Stress and Anxiety: The postpartum period can feel overwhelming, and diaphragmatic breathing activates the body’s relaxation response, lowering stress hormones and easing anxiety. This breathing technique helps you stay calm, centered, and better able to navigate the rollercoaster of new motherhood.
  • Simple Technique, Start Anytime: One of the best things about diaphragmatic breathing is that it’s easy to start right away, even in the early postpartum days (with your provider’s approval). You don’t need equipment or a workout space—just a few quiet moments to connect with your breath and body.

The answer to postpartum recovery may be how you breathe—here’s how to do diaphragmatic breathing. Correct breathing lays the foundation for healing and restrengthening your inner core. With breath, you begin the healing process postpartum by simultaneously rehabbing both the deep core and the pelvic floor.

POSTNATAL PROGRAM

the first six weeks

A safe, low-impact way for new mums to gradually ease back into exercise.

Description

This 6-week program will ease you back into gentle movement once you feel ready to move post-birth. It will introduce gentle movement and restorative stretches designed to support and help you navigate early postpartum.

Suitable for: Early postpartum recovery

postnatal tips

TIP 1

Be kind to yourself and give your body the gracing time it deserves. Number 1.

TIP 2

It sounds obvious but prioritise yourself! It is so easy for self-care or me time to slip to the bottom of the list (looking after a tiny human is 24/7). For me, that meant carving out 10-15 minutes daily as soon as Bub was down. It has to be a non-negotiable even if it is as short as 5-10 minutes.

TIP 3

Shift the narrative from ANYTHING related to how you want your body to look and reframe it to what your body be able to do and how you can actually take some control of that. For me – loosing control of everything was hard. I liked that I could commit to 10-15 minutes daily for 30 days. I loved that each session on the mat made me feel closer and stronger.

TIP 4

Choose workouts that are achievable and convenient. E.g. Short (5-15 minute workouts) that you can do from home while bub sleeps.

TIP 5

Play the long game!

JOIN US MUMMAS

Yoga for Postpartum

Yoga is a beautiful way to reduce anxiety and stress, improve posture, and provide relaxation and unwinding time.

Pilates for Postpartum

Restore your core, remedy bad posture, build upper back strength, and strengthen your glutes.

Improve Posture

Strengthen your upper back muscles and release shoulder tension to improve posture.