Blast your ab flab! - Shape in Balance

Shape, Dec, 2003 by Linda Shelton

RELATED ARTICLE: Breathing Power: how to inhale and exhale for enhanced performance

Take a full breath in, then exhale deeply. Sound familiar? If you've ever done yoga or Pilates, it should. Use of the breath is a key element of both disciplines, helping you stabilize your spine, move deeper into a pose or calmly maintain a pose you're already in. While there is a slight difference between the breathing technique used in yoga and the one used in Pilates, the goal is the same: to get the most from your breath. Keep these pointers in mind.

* Don't hold it. As you work your abs to maintain alignment in each pose, focus on keeping your breathing calm and even.

* Work with it. Use your breath to help you stay firm in your middle, by keeping consistent tension in your abs.

* Go deep. Initiate the breath from deep in your diaphragm, not from your chest.

* Open and close. When you inhale, think of your rib cage expanding; when you exhale, think of a purposeful release while contracting your abs.

Photography by Willie Maldonado