Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your right hand on the right ribs and left hand on the left ribs with your fingers resting on the intercostal spaces (between the ribs). Now take a deep breath in through the nose, feeling your ribs expand outward against your hands. Exhale slowly, feeling the ribs contract. Focus on making the rib movement as large as possible. Do this 10 times slowly.
Benefits: The intercostal muscles get active and strong with this exercise. It specifically trains the muscles between the ribs which are essential for breathing. This exercise is particularly helpful for asthma sufferers because it improves the ability to breathe deeply even when normal breathing is difficult during an episode.