Inhale and the ankles in the Footwork

An interesting observation: I had my hands on the ankles of my client guiding them into alignment as she was performing the Footwork on the Reformer. At first the client was exhaling as she extended her legs. She had a large amount of tension in the ankles. I then had her change to inhaling on the leg extension, thinking of imprinting the last rib and kidneys on the carriage, which then help the body draw away from the feet. Immediately the excess tension in her ankles disappeared.