Em Chen Yoga, Wellington, FL (2026)

04/22/2026

Rib flare is when the lower ribs lift or push forward instead of staying stacked over the pelvis. It’s common in pregnancy, postpartum, and in those with scoliosis.

During pregnancy, the ribcage naturally expands to make space for the baby, but postpartum, many people stay in that expanded position without realizing it 😭

The problem is that this changes how your core system works. For the diaphragm and pelvic floor to function well together, the ribs need to be stacked over the pelvis. When they’re not, core engagement becomes inefficient and pressure is poorly managed through the system.

You’ll often see this paired with an excessive lower back arch or a lifted chest, creating a “scissor” pattern where the ribs stay open and the pelvis tips forward.

Breathing is also affected. Rib flare keeps the body in a more inhale-dominant state, where the ribs don’t fully come down on the exhale and the diaphragm doesn’t fully reset. Over time, this can reduce stability and contribute to tension through the back, hips, and shoulders, especially in postpartum bodies or those working on diastasis recti.

The goal isn’t just to “pull the ribs down,” but to retrain how they move: expand into the back and sides of the ribcage, fully exhale so the ribs can descend, and then build strength while maintaining that stacked position.

If you want to be guided step by step through a rib flare class, COMMENT “RIB FLARE” and I’ll send you a link to the class with a 7 day free trial ✨

04/22/2026

Rib flare is when the lower ribs lift or push forward instead of staying stacked over the pelvis! It’s common in pregnancy, postpartum, and in those with scoliosis.

During pregnancy, the ribcage naturally expands to make space for the baby, but postpartum, many people stay in that expanded position without realizing it 😭

The problem is that this changes how your core system works. For the diaphragm and pelvic floor to work well, the ribs need to be STACKED over the pelvis. When they’re not, core engagement becomes limited and pressure is poorly managed 🙅🏻‍♀️

You’ll often see RF paired with an excessive lower back arch creating a “scissor” pattern where the ribs stay open and the pelvis tips forward.

Breathing is also affected. Rib flare keeps the body in a more inhale-dominant state, where the ribs don’t fully come down on the exhale and the diaphragm doesn’t fully reset. Over time, this can reduce stability and contribute to tension through the back, hips, and shoulders, especially in postpartum bodies or those working on diastasis recti.

The goal isn’t just to “pull the ribs down,” but to retrain how they move: expand into the back and sides of the ribcage, fully exhale so the ribs can descend, and then build strength while maintaining that stacked position.

If you want guided help on RIB FLARE comment FLARE and I’ll send you my new 22min guided rib flare class with a 7 day FREE trial!

04/15/2026

Most postpartum core work focuses on crunching, drawing in, and flattening 😫🛑

It trains how your abs look, not how your core actually functions 🙄

The problem is your body doesn’t live in one plane of movement. It lives in 3D, and one of the most important functions of your core is rotation ❗️

Every day you’re carrying your baby on one side, twisting, reaching, shifting weight, living in constant asymmetry.

So if your core isn’t trained to control rotation, your body will compensate.

That’s when you start to feel low back tension, pelvic floor symptoms, instability in movement, or like your core is “on” but not actually supporting you.

This is why so many women are doing core work but still don’t feel fully recovered.

ROTATION STRENGTH is what changes that.

It teaches your core to stabilize while moving 👏 manage pressure in real-life positions 👏 and connect breath, ribs, pelvis, and hips as one system 👏

This is one of the foundational pieces I used to rebuild my own postpartum core, and now it’s a core principle inside my method!

If you want a core that feels strong in real life, this is where it starts.

Comment “CORE” and I’ll send you a 7-day free trial to my postpartum program so you can try my 29-minute Deep Core Rotation Strength class 💪

04/14/2026

Save these movements that train ROTATION strength!
Wood chop with bala bangle • Chair twist with block • Plank weight slides. Note: strong SH exhale on the rotation

I see lots of moms doing the most basic core exercises, and they’re the exact same routines they did pre-pregnancy. Moms: you just survived a pregnancy marathon, the fourth trimester, and your body is NOT the same as it was before/ how a man should train their core!! We have new needs and one of those needs is a truly strong AF FUNCTIONAL core.

So, beyond the best deep core activation, and hip stability, we also need to work on ROTATION strength.

The rotational sling system is one of the most important AND least talked about parts of postpartum core recovery (couldn’t find anything related to new moms/ postpartum rotation strength in explore- which is so weird, because when you study postpartum corrective exercises, this is foundational!)

The rotational sling is a myofascial chain that runs diagonally across your body. Anterior sling: from your adductors and obliques up through your opposite pec and shoulder. Posterior sling: from your glute across your thoracolumbar fascia to your opposite lat.

These slings don’t work in isolation. They work together to stabilise your pelvis and spine every time you move asymmetrically. Carrying your baby on one hip. Reaching across your body. Twisting to lift something off the floor. That’s the sling firing!

After birth, this system is often the last thing to come back online. The focus goes to the pelvic floor, the TVA, the gap. All important. But if you skip rotational loading, you’re leaving out a critical part of a FUNCTIONAL core- and that’s a core that easily transfers force across the midline.

So when you’re postpartum, I like to work in layers.
Layer 1: breathe and reconnect
Layer 2: stabilise and load
Layer 3: rotate and transfer force

Comment CORE for a free 7-day trial to my postpartum program & and watch my 29min Deep Core Rotation Strength class (dropped today!) to work on your rotation strength with me 💪 LFG! ✨

03/31/2026

Your core isn’t just your abs❗️It’s a pressure system made of your diaphragm, deep core, and pelvic floor, all riding on top of your pelvis. When your pelvis shifts or tilts, your pressure system can’t function properly, and the deep core struggles to coordinate.

This is where your hips come in. The glute med, deep rotators, and adductors control the position of your pelvis. When they’re stable:
✅Your pelvis stays level
✅Pressure moves safely through your core
✅ Your pelvic floor reacts reflexively without compensations

When your hips aren’t firing:
– Your pelvis tilts or shifts
– Pressure gets pushed down or forward (coning/doming)
– Your pelvic floor and low back start compensating

And you’ll often experience symptoms like low back pain, pelvic floor pain, and leaking.

Stabilize your hips, and suddenly your core can finally do its job 🙌 remember your body is all connected, when one part stops working it shifts the entire thing off!

Comment HIPS and I’ll DM you a 7-day free trial so you can try this class for free.

PS dm me your questions :) I usually only talk to my friends more deeply about things, but I am trying to open up and talk about more complex issues on IG!

03/26/2026

Comment CORE and I’ll send you a 7 day free trial to my postpartum program, straight to your DMs 🫰

You can build a stronger core than you had BEFORE pregnancy, and not by jumping into harder workouts ❌

Your core strength comes from how well not just your abs, but your whole system works together:
Breath and diaphragm
Pelvic floor
Deep core
Hip stabilizers

When that connection is there, your core not only looks strong but functions well

Most women skip rebuilding their core postpartum and live with prolapse, diastasis, leaking and pain.

In the past year I gained a stronger core than ever before and it was by slowing down, training deep core, and progressively training step by step.

Try my 12 week deep core program by commenting “CORE” and experience it for yourself 🔥

03/22/2026

Luckily both teaching and practicing yoga are flow state ✨

03/22/2026

We ma not have dragons, but this world is still divine ✨

01/14/2026

Just a vegan, minimalist, backpacker trying to figure out the meaning of life ✨

This was my first ever paid job teaching yoga! First ever yoga shoot for a friend’s studio in KL! I didn’t know how I was going to make it at the time, but I had a burning conviction that *this yoga thing* was what I wanted to do, and I pursued it with all I had…

Even when all my friends & family thought I was crazy 😭 baha, unfortunately I am STILL here, doing the thing, and it was not just a fad!

01/01/2026

Found my pink this year 🌸 while Harper grew to be a toddler

The high of the year has been seeing her personality come out. She’s so smart, playful and outgoing!

I also really wanted to feel like my body was my home again, and throughout the year I made it my priority to carve out time for myself and my movement practice.

The low of the year was losing my village- both my mom and bestie moved away and we didn’t have any family close by to lean on 😭

The biggest lesson this year, surprisingly, has been leaning back into hardness. My whole ethos for the last decade has been softness & ease! Mindfulness, being present, a relaxed nervous system… these were things I centered my life around and taught as a yoga teacher daily 😌

But now with motherhood, I found if I don’t have a hard EDGE, I’ll just disappear. Discipline and hardness around my boundaries, especially the time I absolutely need for myself, allows me to be the version of me I want to be the other 95% of the time 😌

Overall, still the best year of my life 🥹

And another year as an

Em Chen Yoga

04/22/2026

04/22/2026

04/15/2026

04/14/2026

03/31/2026

03/26/2026

03/22/2026

03/22/2026

01/14/2026

01/01/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category