Published: Friday, May 19, 2017 By: David Howatson-Begg Building a full yoga program on Power Plate can be a challenging process. Thankfully, our Master Trainer team recognized the need for a structured session and created a workout to help guide you. As with all of our programs, shaping the exercises to suit your own movement is a must. By using your existing poses and applying them to Power Plate, creating your own workout will be simple. Adding Power Plate to your yoga routine will hopefully become a positive habit as using familiar exercises forms consistent use. Breathe Another piece of habitual behavior we want to cultivate is good breathing technique. Those of you who have been practicing holistic exercise for years may have nailed the art of breathing a long time ago. For others it's a part of the physical jigsaw puzzle that's missing. Establishing an effective breathing pattern before using vibration is key to gaining the recovery benefits we see from Power Plate usage. With increased circulation throughout the body comes an increase in peripheral blood flow meaning the outer layers of our skin as well as our feet and hands benefit from this flush. However, poorly regulated breathing will undoubtedly have a negative effect on how much oxygen our bodies are able to transport. Poor breathing often relates to our response to stress. Gulping in air using the chest and rib cage is a common response, which comes from our first breaths at the moment we are born. The reason our teachers and coaches ask us to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth is to help access our parasympathetic nervous system. This is the system that slows the heart rate and allows the body to rest and recover. Make it Stick Let's try a simple method to make this parasympathetic breathing technique stick and be good to ourselves by adding a foot massage at the same time: Lay on your back using either the floor or a bench/pad level with the Power Plate, placing the soles of your feet on the platform and your knees bent. Place both hands on your abdomen with the middle fingers on the outside edge of your belly button. Take a long slow breath through the nose; counting up from 1 to 10, until you feel your belly is fully expanded. Release the air through the lips until your belly lowers and the fingers gently touch across your belly button. Go slowly, this should take 15-20 seconds so the slower the better. Repeating the pattern after a workout will allow the body to shift into recovery mode with ease. Performing this during exercise is a good way to bring your breathing back under control should the stress of the movement overpower your breath. Putting this technique together with sessions like our Yoga Essence Workout will enable you to prepare, perform and recover in the best possible way. By Paul Edmondson & David Howatson, Performance Health Systems UK Master Trainers Facebook: david_howatson Twitter: @howeyDPT Instagram: david_howatson