Shadowing Practice: How to Nail Up Breathing | Hypnobirthing Breathing Techniques | The Positive Birth Company - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hi, I'm Siobhan Miller.
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Hi, I'm Siobhan Miller.
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I'm the founder of The Positive Birth Company.
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I'm a hypnobirthing teacher and also a mum of three,
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and I am on a mission to make hypnobirthing more accessible for everyone.
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Right now, I'm going to tell you about breathing.
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In hypnobirthing, we talk about two stages of labour,
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the upstage and the downstage.
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In the upstage of labour,
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that's where your uterus muscles are drawing up and your cervix is softening, dilating and opening.
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That's usually the longer stage of labour.
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And then the second stage is the down stage.
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That's where the uterus muscles start to move in the opposite direction
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and push your baby down the birth canal and out so that they're born.
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So with that in mind,
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we have two breathing techniques,
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up breathing and down breathing.
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Up breathing for the up stage and down breathing for the down stage.
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And in this video, I'm going to talk you through up breathing.
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Now, when I say breathing is a game changer, I absolutely mean it.
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If you take one thing with you into birth,
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I recommend you take breathing.
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You always got your breath with you.
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So you don't need to remember to pack anything special.
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You don't need to remember to buy anything.
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It's free.
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It's easy.
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And it's hugely effective.
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Okay, so bear with me.
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This is how to do up breathing.
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You simply need to breathe in for a count of four through your nose
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and then breathe out for a count of eight through your mouth.
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So when you inhale through your nose I want you to think about drawing that air in,
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feeling your chest expand and filling your lungs with air
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and then as you exhale through your mouth slowly letting the air out feeling everything soften
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and relax as you do so and then i want you to repeat
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that four times so in for four inhale expand out for eight exhale relax four times over
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that actually is 48 seconds so this is a less than a minute of work okay
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so i'm going to count for you
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and we're going to do it together okay now you might
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like to close your eyes to help you relax I find
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that helps but if you don't want to do that that's absolutely fine.
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Okay so we're going to start by breathing in through our nose for four out through our mouth for eight
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and I'm going to count it four times okay ready
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right in two three four out two
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three four five six seven eight in
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two three four out two three four five six seven eight.
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In two three four out two three four four, five, six, seven, eight.
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In, two, three, four, out,
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two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
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Hopefully you feel a little bit more lighter,
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grounded and relaxed after doing that and that's just 48 seconds
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and you know what's really magical about that is that
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when you're in established labour your surges
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or contractions will typically last around 45 seconds to a minute
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so if you close your eyes and commit to that breath
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and breathe in for four out for eight four times over by the time you open your eyes
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and you've done that breathing pattern your surge
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or contraction will have finished completely or it will just be easing off
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so you can literally ride that wave by committing to your breath not only
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that but this breathing technique actually works by down downregulating your nervous system.
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And what that means is it will slow your heart rate down and reduce the amount of adrenaline that you're producing.
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So it will help you to not only feel better
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but enable your muscles in your body to work more effectively as well,
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making labour quicker, easier and more straightforward.
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I told you it was a game changer.
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So in for four, out for eight, four times over.
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And if you struggle to breathe out for eight,
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you can always modify that.
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So for example, you could breathe in for three and out for six.
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Anyway is fine as long as you keep breathing and you try to ensure that your exhale is longer than your inhale.
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Because if you think about panic breathing or hyperventilating,
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your exhale gets shorter and shorter and shorter.
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And we want to make sure that doesn't happen.
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We want to achieve the opposite of that.
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So we want to make sure that exhale is nice and long.
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So whether you do in for three,
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out for six, in for four,
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out for eight, it doesn't matter.
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Find a way that works for you.
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But honestly, it sounds simple and it is simple and it will absolutely make your birth better.
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If you like this video please don't forget to hit subscribe
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and of course give us a thumbs up and do check out all the other videos here on my channel.
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If you want to learn more about hypnobirthing then please check out our hypnobirthing pack at www.thepositivebirthcompany.co.uk
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where you can also get yourself a free positive affirmations mp3.
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Thank you.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

If you're looking to learn English with YouTube, this video offers an excellent opportunity. The speaker, Siobhan Miller, shares breathing techniques that can be useful during labor. However, the language used is quite accessible, making it perfect for English speaking practice. By shadowing her speech, you can not only understand the content better but also improve your fluency and pronunciation as you repeat the phrases. Practicing with such videos allows you to mimic natural speech patterns and intonations, which enhances your overall communication skills.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In the video, several key structures and phrases can enhance your learning experience:

  • Counting and sequencing: Miller frequently uses phrases like "breathe in for a count of four" and "repeat that four times." This structure illustrates how to give clear, concise instructions, an essential skill in English.
  • Use of present continuous: The phrase "my mission is to make hypnobirthing more accessible" demonstrates the present continuous tense, reflecting ongoing actions or goals.
  • Imperative sentences: Commands like "breathe in through your nose" and "close your eyes" are effective imperatives that convey instructions clearly, which is crucial in everyday communication.
  • Comparison of stages: Miller uses terms like "upstage" and "downstage" to explain processes, which helps learners understand how to transition concepts in their speech.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice along with the video, you may encounter some tricky words and phrases that can challenge your pronunciation:

  • Uterus: This word can be pronounced as "YOO-tuh-ruhs." Focus on the first syllable to ensure clarity.
  • Hypnobirthing: A unique term, pronounce it as "HIP-noh-bur-thing." Pay attention to the rhythm and flow of the word.
  • Exhale: This word can be tricky, with the correct pronunciation being "eks-hail." Make sure to emphasize the 'x' sound, as it often gets muffled in conversation.

Using a shadowing app can significantly assist in honing your skills, as it allows you to hear and follow native speakers while practicing breathing techniques. Overall, being conscious of these components will help you improve English pronunciation effectively.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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