Southside Booty Camp

Fantastic work to inform our our winter quarter start at Lakewood Community Club in Jan 5. Looking forward to breathing better with you in 2026!

READ CAPTION This video touches on three key topics: SLEEP – BREATHING – DIAPHRAGM So let’s connect the dots.  Chest Breathing There’s nothing wrong with breathing into the chest if your belly is relaxed. But most people tense their abdominal muscles when they breathe this way. That tension blocks the diaphragm and disrupts the entire breathing mechanism. The Diaphragm The diaphragm is often misunderstood as just a breathing muscle. But it's also: • A postural stabiliser for your spine • A lymphatic pump stimulating the main lymph node under it • A circulator promoting blood flow to your internal organs • A respiratory regulator pulling air into the lower lungs where most oxygen exchange happens (most alveoli are in the lower branches) But the problem is that when you're stressed, the diaphragm locks up. Breathing shifts to the upper chest. The belly tenses. And all those vital functions from blood flow, lymphatic drainage, digestion, immunity get compromised. Now... how does this affect sleep? • Poor diaphragm function → poor oxygen exchange • Tight belly → reduced circulation and lymph flow • Chest breathing → sympathetic (stress) state dominance You might fall asleep… But the quality of sleep will suffer.  And poor sleep feeds back into poor breathing, poor recovery, and more stress. Most people carry the dysfunctions of their daily life into their sleep.  The solution isn’t just a better bedtime routine but building a better breathing and nervous system regulation throughout the day. Personally, I only sleep a few hours per night. Over decades of practice, I’ve learned how to optimize my breathing, stay mostly in parasympathetic dominance, and support my internal organ function throughout the day. As a result, I waste far less energy than most physically, mentally, and physiologically.  So when you get to that state of optimal internal state during the day I call it RELAXATION POWER, because you can still do all your intense activities but with much less strain and effort. Of course, Relaxation Power is a broader concept than I can't fully explain here. But those who’ve practiced with me live will know what I mean. #sleep #health #yoga

Come join us this fall quarter! We have a few spaces available in both the 6am and 7:30am classes. We start back in Seward Park starting this coming Monday Sept 8. This will be the only entry point for first timers for the quarter.

We have been supporting women’s fitness in southeast Seattle for the last 18 years! Check all the details for our camp start here: southsideb***ycamp.com

Hope to see you in the park!
Jessica