Level 1: Basic Breath
Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, knees bent, feet resting on the floor. Inhale and exhale a few times. Don't flatten your back or tilt your pelvis—just let the natural curve in your spine remain. Breathe in slowly and deeply. Now, breathe out and tighten your tummy muscles, pulling your navel towards your spine (without flattening or changing the position of your lower back) and hold the contraction for five seconds. Keep breathing as you hold and try and work up to 5-10 of these contractions several times a day.
Concentrate on contracting the muscles below your belly button during each exhale. When you are able to contract and relax your abdominal muscles without moving your back or spine position, you have learned to properly isolate the correct muscles. You can then move on to the next level.
![](http://spinecarecentre.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/level_1.png)