Stomach Vacuum

Execution

1. Inhale slowly and as deeply as you can through the nose.
2. Exhale completely through the mouth, pushing all the air out.
3. After exhaling fully, draw your belly button in and up as far as you can without inhaling.
4. Hold this hollowed position for 10-15 seconds, taking shallow breaths through the upper chest if needed.
5. Relax the abdomen and inhale normally again to finish one rep.
6. Do 3-4 reps a set when you are starting out, breathing normally for a few breaths between them, and stop early if you feel light-headed even before the count is done.
7. Dizziness, spots in your vision or tightness in the chest means breathing in, letting the belly go and sitting down to rest, with a shorter hold next time.

Quick cues

• Empty the lungs before you hollow.
• Suck the belly up under the ribs.
• Shallow chest breaths while you hold.
• Dizzy means breathe in now.

Common faults

• Fault: Holding the breath completely during the hold

  Fix: Practice shallow upper-chest breathing while keeping the belly hollowed.

• Fault: Only hollowing the upper belly and skipping the lower abdomen

  Fix: Focus on drawing the area below the navel in too, not just the upper chest.

• Fault: Rounding the back or thrusting the hips while hollowing

  Fix: Keep the spine neutral and the hips still, letting only the belly move.