I think it takes time for everyone to learn to do the Basic Breath with the right balance of relaxation and power...

To RELAX on the inhale and take in lots of air,

Then really tighten up and contract the abdominal muscles on the "Lift" and take in 3 extra sniffs at the same time,

Then POWER out the air during the EXHALE (blow, blow, blow!) -- Keeping the abs tight!

Then finally do an extra 3 puffs to try and empty the lungs completely -- Keeping the abs tight!


(Don't feel bad if you don't master this overnight! It takes time for your body to learn the routine.)

I found that practicing in a SITTING position made things easier. It was easier for me to FEEL the tightening of the abdominal "Lift."

I had been doing Oxycise! for at least 3 or 4 months when I was driving in the car one day, and tried doing the Basic Breath at the same time, and WOW! -- I could really FEEL my abs working! It was kind of a new discovery for me -- like, "Wow, THAT'S what it's supposed to feel like!"

I think in the sitting postion you can more easily feel the power and compression of the abdominal muscles working against the diaphragm as you try to take in 3 extra sniffs. And then feel the power of your abs pushing up from beneath your lungs as you push the air out during the exhale.

I hope this might help someone out there who is still "learning the ropes!"

Julie

I have one question, when i do the 3 sniffs it's like if you were crying and take in 3 sniffs. I feel it more in the neck muscle not the nose.
I am not sure if that is correct, or you actually sniff through the nose.I feel more if i sniff thru the nose. That could be one of my problems, doing the 3 sniffs wrong. or holding my mouth wrong. I have the smile on the inhale and have the exhale strong & the 3 puffs at the end. I do at least 60 reps a day & walk when i can about 4 miles. Any advice you can give me on the sniffs would be good. I have tried a couple different ways i just want to do it correct. For when i watch the tapes i can't tell from those that are doing the reps how they are doing the 3 sniffs. Thanks

I'm not too susre I sniff the right way either. So far I've been more concentrating on doing the 3 blows, those are easier. When I sniff after pulling in my stomach muscles it feels as if the snif end up somewhere om my shoulders. By trying to get to get those last three breaths in I hunch my shoulders. I know it's wrong so I've stopped trying for a while.

I'll try to get the hang of the Basic Breath by sitting down.

brigitte

I know what u mean Today i did the L3 and the Abs work out. Then i watched the introduction tape again watching & listening about the sniffs.
If i do it like a sob it works the neck muscles more if i hold the tongue to the roof of the mouth and do the sniffs i can feel it thru the nose more and not the neck. So at this point i just mix it as i sniff. Till I hear from otheres about the right way to do it. i just don't want to be doing it wrong cause bad habits are hard to break. I have hopefully accomplished the rest as i do get results, I was just wondering why i don't notice it when the others are doing the reps w/ Jill. until next time keep breathing.

You wil be using some of your chest on the sniffs but if I understand it right, it should be the abs working as you sniff. Try thinking of it more like the "ah ah ah choo" of a sneeze, than a sob. Maybe that will work the abs more.

Shelby

Hey Shelby,

That sneezing thing works better. Now I don't pull the air that high, like BlueEyes mentioned.

The better the breath is going, the more fun this is. Honestly, I never thought I would say that about exercise

brigitte

I agree. I do O! now because I love it & I feel great. It is fun! My neighbor even wants to struggle thru the English & watch the tapes.

Shelby

Ask & you shall receive. When something puzzels us, no matter how silly it seems we should just ask. There are so many of us doing the O that we get lots of great ideas.
Shelby I never thought of it, but have been sitting here at the computer reading comments and doing the sneeze. That is exactly what i need to do wow what a difference. And such a great way to explain it to others.
Brigitte & I are on our way now to smiling and breathing. I knew it was wrong just couldn't find the solution. Thank ye Thank Ye Thank Ye
Susanna Thanks for the thoughts on my dad. I did take today off, bad sleepless night Have been up since early cleaning lots of exercise in that. Now i will just breath a bit with my sneeze and be ready for tomorrow
Monika sorry to hear no VCR, But it makes sense. Too bad they don't have a book of just all the positions, that would be great for you at this time.
Shelby pix are better than words. Nice to have someone exercise with you at times. I don't have any one till my friend retires at the end of this month, then she will start. I will be happy for her, and it will be fun to see her lose a bit here & there.

Whether you think of sobbing or sneezing.... or some other association that helps you, I think everyone discovers their own little techniques and "tricks"... and that's fine.

The 3 sniffs DO give the abs a workout -- because it's challenging to take IN air when your abs are tight. So your diaphragm is trying to move against your ab muscles and voila' you have a great internal exercise.

As Jill demonstrates in the Level One Introduction video, doing the 3 sniffs also causes the muscles in the throat/neck area to contract so it helps tone these muscles.

And when you take in 3 extra sniffs you WILL feel the air in your chest rather than down low -- because your lungs should already be full. You might think of "topping off" a glass of water that is already full.

If the glass is ALREADY full, you won't be able to fill it up any more.... and likewise, if your lungs are already full you won't be able to take in much air on the 3 extra sniffs.

But even if you can't get much air in, the act of trying will still help tone your abs and your neck muscles.

For a good demonstration watch the beginning of the Abs and Upper Body workout... Jill lays down and demonstrates what should be happening when you do the breathing. It's easier to see the movement of her abdominal muscles during the inhale, sniffs, exhale and 3 puffs.

That is where i was feeling it but i thought i should be feeling it in the abs, & not the chest. now i feel better as i have been doing it when i lay down at night and think i have it now. Also i think i was trying to do it a little too fast.
Thank you so much for responding to all of us,on subjects we need help with.

I have a friend who will be starting on the program at the beginning of the month. We have a question that we would like to see if u or anyone else can give some advice on.
She has C.O.P.D, which i believe a bit of her lung is not there.She takes in short breaths. Will she have a problem with the O, and will it help her capacity to take in more air.
Any advice u may be able to give us we appreciate. Thanks BlueEyes

RE: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder

It's hard to say, in your friend's individual case whether she will respond to Oxycise! Have her follow her doctor's advice.

Jill has given the following information in response to questions about asthma and other lung conditions:

"We have not done any official research on the effects of Oxycise! on asthma or other breathing problems, however have received comments back from respiratory therapists who have indicated that the breathing methods are very healthy and beneficial for their patients. In addition, we have sold many to people with respiratory problems including asthma, emphysema, allergies, and smoking, who have found that this is an aerobic activity which they are able to do."


And here's an email we received a few years ago from a respiratory therapist who posted on our message board:


Date: November 11, 2000 01:02 AM
Subject: Hope this post isn't too long

I also have never heard in my schooling that blowing off excess CO2= fat loss. But as a respiratory therapist, I can only praise Oxycise. My mother ordered the first tape and I was very leery of it's ability to promote weight loss. I finally decided to watch it and was impressed with Jill's breathing techniques. She is doing exactly what we train COPDer's(people with emphysema, chronic bronchitis and asthma). Because of their diseases, they have forgotten how to breathe properly and when short of breath, they use accessory muscles(those around the shoulder area and neck). The diaphragm barely moves and they rapidly shallow breathe. We also teach them pursed lip breathing, sort of like what Jill does, in through the nose and out through the lips. It creates a back pressure that helps to keep the air sacs in the lungs open longer, improving lung volume and oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange. It is true, that we are trained at a young age to suck in our gut and begin to breathe improperly. Our posture is poor, we slouch over we sit on couches and lazyboys which compromise our breathing and compress our spine and vital organs. Breathing is living; think of how good it feels to sit up tall and take in a nice long deep breath, how refreshing it feels, we are cleansing our body. CO2 is waste product. We also excrete through our skin as in sweat, our lymphatic system and of course the digestive, renal and intestinal systems. These all work together. We need to make sure that we fuel it properly and clean it out regularly. All systems are important. Healthy food, always; and junky stuff, once in a while.(At least for me). Water all day long. Soda rarely. Exercise. (anything you can fit in the day). And of course.....SLEEP.(If you're anything like me, you might skimp in that department). Sorry, to go on and on. I don't know personally If "O-ing" will work. If the weight gain was gradual, then it will probably take a good few months to drop 2 sizes. Don't miss a day if you can help it. Take the stairs at work, or to the appointment. I work in an 8 story hospital. I'm not saying I don't use the elevator, but I use the stairs whenever I can. Try some other work out tapes when you're ready. Oxycise would be a great warm-up for it. I also do Pilates, The Method. It has been around for years and incorporates proper breathing with concentrations on muscle groups. Ballet dancers have studied this for over 50 years. If you gain weight, that is normal, muscle weighs more than fat. What ever calories your body doesn't use right away, it stores and later if not used, turns that into fat and later,will go for the muscle for energy. You will burn more fat if you gain more muscle. You may not feel like you're losing yet, because you're building up muscle under the fat. Fat does not turn in to muscle. You need to acquire the muscle first. If you stop "working out", your muscles will quickly lose their tone and get burned up and what you have left is the stored calories which result in Fat. Cellulite forms because of excess fatty tissue. I am not claiming to be an expert. I have no testimonial to give you. Oxycise! didn't come out as this big crazy Infomercial, like Tae-bo or however you spell it, or Tony Little or BodyFlex or what have you. It seems legit to me. I am giving it a chance, for a long while because I believe it has other health benefits as well. I am also an asthmatic and need reinforcement on how to breathe. I feel I need to lose 20 lbs. I am 5 ft. 3 ins. I have an 8 year old. I was 122 pre-pregnancy. I delivered at 177 lbs. I lost 30 within 2 months and then 10 more over 2 years. Now it's years later and I go between 123-138. I want it off. What I lose and gain is mostly fluid. I can attest that after doing the first tape for 2 weeks that my legs are firmer. If I do the tape two times in a row I do start to sweat and can feel the "work" the next day. Good luck to newcomers like myself. Congratulations to those with success and Stick with it to those who haven't yet shown improvement. Surely, there must be some difference; more stamina, more strength, more control. You've got to reinforce the technique, it's not easy to breathe properly when we've become lazy. You can't use Oxycise alone. You must improve your eating habits. Cut out/down the sugar and calories, don't skimp on the fat;(fat-free and low fat foods are higher in calories or sugars than regular), I suggest cutting back on the portions. Take in more water and less salt. Go to bed earlier and try to be more positive. Good luck.