Shadowing Practice: Why you don't need to push when giving birth | Down Breathing | 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 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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In hypnobirthing, when it comes to giving birth,
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we think of two stages of labour.
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The upstage, where the uterus muscles are drawing up and the cervix is softening and dilating and opening.
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that's usually the longer stage of labour
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and then the down stage where the uterus muscles move in the opposite direction
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and push downwards helping your baby move down the birth canal
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and into the world and right now i'm going to talk about the down stage of labour
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and down breathing so we've talked about up breathing
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and for the up stage of labour in a previous video
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so this is down breathing for the down stage of labour
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see what we did there up breathing for the upstage down
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breathing for the downstage now it's very very similar to up breathing
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but instead of doing a nice long inhale expand we do a quicker inhale
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and then we focus on our out breath on our exhale
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so whereas up breathing was all about relaxation although we still
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want to be relaxed now this is a lot more active
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because the down stage of labor is a lot more active your body is pushing your baby out.
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You are actually birthing your baby.
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So it's a very focused breath with a real purpose.
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So I often liken it to blowing out a candle.
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If you're blowing out a candle,
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you wouldn't do a lovely soft exhale like...
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because the candle wouldn't blow out.
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You would go...
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So you're not pushing or forcing anything,
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but you're breathing out with intent.
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You've got to focus, and that focus is to blow the candle out.
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And when it comes to down breathing,
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your focus is breathing your baby out, birthing your baby.
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So you've got a focus and an intent.
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So you're not pushing or forcing anything.
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I want you to work with your body.
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So think of helping rather than hindering and using your breath to do so.
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Okay, so when you feel that surge come on and you feel your body starting to push,
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I want you to take a breath in through your nose.
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But instead of counting it's just a nice quick breath in
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and then as you breathe out I want you to try
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and channel that breath down through your body
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so instead of breathing out gently as before with the up
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breathing out into the air I want you to channel that breath down through your body so
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and I'm putting my hands here on my ribs because
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when you exhale you'll actually feel your ribs sort of move inwards
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and down as all your muscles contract and move downwards
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and you know that you're helping your body so instead of tensing
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and bracing against the sensation and pulling everything up
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which would make it very difficult for your baby to be born you're allowing everything to to soften
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and open but also move downwards so you're working with your body so that's another reason why there's no counting here
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it's less sort of prescribed and it's listening to your body
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so when you feel your body push that's when you're going to use this breath a nice quick inhale and then
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pushing with your breath using your breath to help your body
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push your baby out not doing this like you see on the telly
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and just hurting your neck and breaking blood vessels in your face
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that's not what we want to do we want to work
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with our body using our breath to work with our muscles
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and helping ease our baby out so
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that your birth is more gentle for you
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and your baby reducing the risk of any damage or tearing so it's really really helpful effective and definitely recommended
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the best place to practice down breathing
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because to be honest you probably don't want to do this breathing
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when you get into bed at night because it's not particularly relaxing.
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Whereas up breathing, absolutely.
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Practice up breathing when you get to bed and it will help you get to sleep.
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but down breathing is a very particular place where it's very good to practice
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and actually quite helpful and that's when you go for a poo so
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when you go to the toilet perhaps on your bathroom door
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on the back of your bathroom door put a little post-it
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note saying down breathing no one else will know what it means
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and then when you sit on the toilet
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when you need a poo especially if you suffer with constipation which can happen in pregnancy
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using the down breathing will actually help you go to the toilet
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and causing yourself less pain and less damage and make it easier
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and then you'll start to really believe in the power of down breathing
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and when it comes to birth it will feel familiar
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and you can just start using it so
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when you feel your body push you use
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that breathing in through your nose nice quick inhale
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and then out through your mouth but channeling your breath downwards breathing out with intent that's down breathing.
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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
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and do check out all the other videos here on my channel and
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if you want to learn more about hypnobirthing then please check
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out our hypnobirthing pack at www.positivebirthcompany.co.uk where you can also get yourself a free positive affirmations mp3 and
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if you have any questions don't forget you can always ask us we're at the positive birth company on facebook
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will practice English speaking techniques that focus on effective breathing methods during childbirth as discussed in the video. By shadowing the speaker, you’ll gain insights into using breath control and focused intent to improve your English pronunciation and enhance your delivery. This content is particularly beneficial for those preparing for IELTS speaking practice, as the techniques can help you articulate your thoughts clearly and confidently. You’ll also learn how to channel your energy and maintain a calm demeanor while speaking, which are essential skills in both childbirth and effective communication.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Down breathing - A focused breathing technique used during the later stages of labor to aid in childbirth.
- Surge - A powerful contraction or wave felt during labor.
- Breathe out with intent - To exhale purposefully, channeling energy downwards.
- Relaxation - The state of being free from tension, crucial in both childbirth and public speaking.
- Focus - The ability to concentrate on a specific task or outcome, vital for effective communication.
- Help rather than hinder - Working with your body’s natural processes instead of against them, applicable in both birthing and speaking scenarios.
- Channel that breath down - Directing breath purposefully, akin to directing your speech towards your audience.
Practice Tips
To improve your English pronunciation and shadow speech effectively, try the following tips while practicing this lesson:
- Shadow the speaker: Listen closely to the tone and pace of the speaker. Mimic the way she emphasizes certain phrases, particularly the breathing techniques mentioned in the video. This will help you understand how to control your own speech delivery.
- Slow it down: If the original video feels too fast, slow down the playback speed to clearly identify each word and pronunciation. Gradually increase the speed as you become more comfortable.
- Focus on breath control: Just as the speaker emphasizes the importance of breathing in labor, practice breath control while speaking. Start with a short inhale followed by a deliberate exhale when articulating challenging phrases to improve clarity.
- Use visualization: Imagine the process of childbirth as you speak. Visualizing the act of channeling breath can help you maintain focus and calmness while speaking, particularly during your IELTS speaking practice.
- Record and replay: For feedback, record yourself while shadowing the speaker. Analyze your pronunciation and pacing in comparison to the original video. This self-assessment will empower you to refine your English speaking practice.
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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