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The Breath You Didn't Know You Needed: How Low Pressure Fitness Transforms More Than Just Your Core

Have you ever felt like your body is holding its breath, even when you're not?

That subtle tension in your belly. Shoulders edging up toward your ears. Shallow sips of air that never seem to land anywhere deep. We brush it off as stress, poor posture, or just “one of those days” – but what if it’s actually a symptom of something more foundational?

What if how we breathe is quietly shaping our health, emotions, posture, and sense of vitality?

This isn’t just a poetic metaphor. It’s the essence of what author and journalist James Nestor explores in his bestselling book Breath - The New Science of a Lost Art, and what I witness daily in my work with Low Pressure Fitness (LPF). When we change the way we breathe, we change the way we feel, function, and move.


What Is Low Pressure Fitness?

Low Pressure Fitness (LPF) is an innovative system that blends hypopressive breathwork, myofascial stretching, and postural re-education to create a profound reset for the body. It was initially designed for postnatal recovery and pelvic floor dysfunction, but its applications have grown far beyond that.

At its core, LPF is about releasing pressure – not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. It’s a practice that invites your nervous system to shift out of “fight or flight,” reconnects you with your deep core, and gently unravels chronic tension patterns.

But most importantly? It starts with the breath.


What Breath by James Nestor Taught Us About… Breathing

Nestor’s book Breath - The New Science of a Lost Art is a deep dive into how modern life has disconnected us from our most essential function: respiration.

We now know that many of us are shallow-breathers – taking too many breaths per minute, through the mouth, and into the chest. This disrupts our oxygen-carbon dioxide balance, keeps us stuck in stress physiology, and leads to all kinds of dysfunction: poor sleep, anxiety, digestive issues, weakened core function, and even facial structural changes.

Some of his key takeaways include:

  • Nasal breathing is crucial for oxygen efficiency, immune function, and mental clarity.

  • Slower breathing (about 5.5 breaths per minute) optimises the nervous system and heart rate variability.

  • The diaphragm is underused, especially in people with poor posture, tight bellies, and high stress.

  • Modern stressors and sedentary lifestyles have created a “collapse” in our respiratory muscles, affecting everything from pelvic floor to posture.

This is exactly the territory where LPF shines.




How LPF Fits Into the Science of Optimal Breathing

LPF uses a specialised technique known as the hypopressive breath – a series of exhalation holds combined with a vacuum-like lift of the diaphragm and ribcage. It’s not about breathing more; it’s about breathing better.

In fact, this method aligns beautifully with the principles in Breath:

Nasal Breathing: LPF starts by retraining nasal breathing patterns – helping you slow down and oxygenate efficiently.

Diaphragmatic Activation: The vacuum technique directly activates the diaphragm and intercostal muscles.

Postural Repatterning: LPF uses specific body positions to open space through the ribs, hips, and spine – freeing the breath.

Nervous System Reset: Every session works with the vagus nerve to create a parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) state.

In simple terms: LPF helps your body remember how to breathe – the way we’re designed to, but often forget in the rush of daily life.


What Is Hypopressive Breathing?

At the heart of Low Pressure Fitness is a unique breathing technique called hypopressive breathing. The word “hypopressive” means “low pressure” – and that’s exactly what this breath does. It helps reduce intra-abdominal pressure, which can build up from years of bracing, straining, or shallow breathing.

Unlike most core training that involves gripping or "pulling in" the abdominals, hypopressive breathwork invites your core and pelvic floor to respond reflexively. It’s gentle, yet incredibly effective. Instead of pushing or forcing, we create the conditions for your deep core muscles to awaken naturally.


Understanding the “Vacuum” Effect


One of the hallmark features of hypopressive breathing is the abdominal vacuum – a lifted, hollowed shape that occurs when we exhale fully, hold the breath out, and expand the rib cage without taking in air. This action creates a negative pressure in the abdominal cavity, which gently lifts the pelvic organs and activates the transverse abdominis (your deepest core muscle) and pelvic floor.

The vacuum isn’t about sucking in the belly. In fact, it's the opposite. We’re learning to release chronic tension and let the diaphragm do its job. Over time, this creates more mobility through the rib cage and spine, better posture, and a more functional core.

Clients often say it feels strange at first – like their body is doing something unfamiliar. But after a few sessions, they begin to feel a new kind of internal space and lift that traditional exercise often overlooks.


Why the Vacuum Matters (Especially for Women’s Health)

The vacuum effect has many therapeutic benefits. It helps:

  • Reposition and support pelvic organs, reducing symptoms of heaviness or prolapse

  • Close abdominal separation (diastasis recti) by decreasing outward pressure

  • Enhance posture and spinal alignment, especially for those with sedentary jobs

  • Stimulate lymphatic flow and circulation through gentle fascial tensioning

  • Support recovery after childbirth, abdominal surgery, or chronic tension patterns

What’s beautiful about this approach is that it’s non-invasive, body-led, and deeply empowering. Whether you're in recovery, perimenopause, or simply seeking a smarter way to move and breathe – the hypopressive breath gives your body a chance to recalibrate from within.


Beyond the Core: What LPF Breathwork Can Do for You

So, what happens when you breathe this way? When you give your body space to decompress instead of squeeze, grip, and power through?

My clients often describe it as a reset button – physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Some of the changes they notice:

  • Decreased bloating and abdominal discomfort

  • Relief from pelvic heaviness, tension or urgency

  • More energy with less effort

  • Improved posture and spinal alignment

  • A sense of groundedness and calm clarity

What I love about LPF is that it doesn’t push. It invites.

It reminds us that we don’t always have to work harder – sometimes we need to unlearn, unwind, and make space to breathe.


Try It for Yourself – LPF in Action

Below, you’ll find a video of a workshop I ran during the COVID lockdowns. In it, I guide you through the basic postures and breathing patterns of LPF – designed for beginners or anyone curious to feel their body differently.

You don’t need fancy equipment or athletic ability. Just a quiet space, an open mind, and a few minutes to tune in. The session includes:

  • How to set up your posture for optimal breath

  • Nasal breathing awareness

  • The basics of the hypopressive vacuum

  • A gentle sequence you can follow along with at home

Let it be an invitation, not a performance.




Who LPF Is For (Hint: Not Just Postnatal Women)

LPF is ideal if you:

  • Sit for long hours and feel compressed or tight

  • Experience stress-related tension, especially in your shoulders or belly

  • Have a history of pelvic floor issues, diastasis recti, or prolapse

  • Feel disconnected from your core – even if you do Pilates or other exercises

  • Are curious about breathwork but want something structured and body-based

  • Simply want to feel lighter, taller, and more at home in your body


Breath Before Strength

LPF isn’t about flat tummies or burning calories. It’s about embodiment. It’s about waking up the deep layers of your body that have been offline due to stress, surgery, pregnancy, or just life.

The breath is your access point. The rest follows.


In a World of Pressure, This Is Your Exhale

We live in a world that encourages constant pressure – in our calendars, expectations, bodies, and minds.

Low Pressure Fitness offers something rare: a structured, intelligent system that relieves pressure – quite literally – from your core, nervous system, and emotional landscape.

It reminds you that less is sometimes more. That your breath is your ally. That healing can be quiet and powerful at the same time.


Come Breathe With Me




If you're in Fremantle, I invite you to join one of my LPF sessions, or book a private appointment to explore how this work can support your unique body.

Breathing is the first act of life and the last. Our very life depends on it.

~Joseph Pilates




 
 
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