Understanding Proper Breathing With The Diaphragm

The primary muscle of respiration, positioned beneath the lungs, is the diaphragm. This sizable, dome-shaped muscle contracts rhythmically and consistently, typically involuntarily. During inhalation, it contracts and flattens, expanding the chest cavity.

Function of the Diaphragm

As previously stated, the diaphragm is the main muscle responsible for our ability to breathe. During inhalation, the diaphragm contracts and flattens, enlarging the chest cavity. This action generates a vacuum, drawing air into the lungs. Conversely, during exhalation, the diaphragm relaxes, returning to its dome-shaped form, and expels air from the lungs. It works alongside your transverse abdominis (another muscle in the abdomen), to execute these functions. The Diaphragm, sometimes called the thoracic diaphragm, is located in the thoracic cavity (lower chest). It is attached to the spine, ribs, and sternum.

Movement of the Diaphragm

When stimulated by the phrenic nerve, the diaphragm undergoes contraction, causing it to flatten. This reduces pressure and expands the thoracic cavity, enabling the lungs to expand during inhalation. Upon relaxation of the diaphragm, the chest cavity contracts, facilitating the release of air from the lungs. So the lungs and diaphragm work synergistically to facilitate correct breathing. You can think of the diaphragm as a pump.

Your diaphragm is controlled by your autonomic nervous system, which means it functions independently of conscious thought. However, it is completely possible to contract the diagram with a proper mind-muscle connection voluntarily. You can achieve this simply by holding your breath or if that doesn’t stimulate the diaphragm enough to feel it, try the diaphragmatic breathing technique below.

Automatic breathing works depending on your natural breathing rhythm. A rhythmic breath that is a strong, deep belly breath indicates a strong and properly functioning diaphragm. Conversely, a light, shallow chest breath indicates a weak, underused diaphragm.

Diaphragmatic Breathing Technique

Are you a chest breather or a belly breather? Let’s find out. You can do this sitting, standing or even lying down. Place one hand on your chest and another on your stomach near your belly button. Now take a deep breath. Did you feel your chest expand first or was it your tummy that expanded? This is a test to see what your current breathing technique is.

A breath that fills the chest first (Your hand raises from your chest), is a weak and shallow breath that doesn’t utilize the full function of the diaphragm. A strong, healthy, and deep breath would be one where your stomach moves out completely before your chest even moves an inch. Stomach then chest. That is a proper breathing technique.

What is Chest Breathing?

Chest breathing is an epidemic of sorts and it is because we were never really taught how to breathe correctly. I mean think about it we have a subject for calculus and chemistry, but no one ever showed us how to breathe properly. Shallow chest breathing leads to a variety of problems:

1. Limited Oxygen Intake: Shallow chest breathing primarily involves the use of the chest and shoulder muscles rather than the diaphragm. This results in reduced oxygen intake, as the lower lungs, which have a larger surface area for gas exchange, are not fully utilized.
2. Heightened Stress: Chest breathing is associated with the body’s stress response, activating the sympathetic nervous system and triggering the “fight or flight” response. This can lead to increased heart rate and increased feelings of anxiety or stress. This leads to even more shallow breathing creating a vicious cycle.
3. Fatigue, Tension, and Poor Posture: Chest breathing relies heavily on the accessory muscles of respiration, such as the muscles of the neck and shoulders. Over time, this can lead to muscle fatigue, tension, and even discomfort or pain in the neck, shoulders, and upper back.
4. Reduced Recovery and Performance: A limited oxygen supply and heightened stress and anxiety create negative repercussions in the body. This is haunting your performance in the gym, on the mat, or the field.
5. So many more: The above is just the tip of the iceberg but basically, everything is worse with less oxygen. Studies have even found a link between intelligence and oxygen intake and I’d like to say duh. So now you understand why we want to avoid chest breathing let’s get rid of it once and for all.

Eliminating Chest Breathing

We must learn how to breathe correctly. A limited oxygen intake is terrible for us, how can we expect to function at 100% and give it our all if we aren’t receiving enough air? Oxygen is our precious life force, even more so than food and water, If you don’t believe me, try holding your breath for 2 minutes. So we must maximize the amount of deep breaths we take unconsciously. But how do we go about doing this?

Well, we must practice diaphragmatic breathing. Essentially, once your breathing technique is corrected, the diaphragm is strengthened and we have achieved a heightened awareness and ability to control the diaphragm, then our unconscious rhythmic breathing will be strong and deep. Now you’ll have more endurance in the gym, more confidence because of decreased anxiety and stress and you’ll even start to have better sex.

Now diaphragmatic breathing exercises aren’t the most sexy exercises but they’ll go a lot further than bicep curls, I promise. And the cool thing about diaphragmatic breathing is since we do it so much, we can incorporate it into our day-to-day life. Practice in the car on the way to work. Practice while waiting in line at the coffee shop. Practice while out walking your dog. Get creative! I practice these deep breathing exercises while doing my mobility work and yoga and even when meditating. If you want the exact exercises I recommend, click below. With diaphragmatic breathing, a little goes a long way. Check out our complete guide to the core!