As a breath-work coach and personal trainer, I’ve seen firsthand how transformative proper breathing techniques can be for overall health and well-being.
Breathing is something we do automatically, but doing it correctly, or optimally, is not always intuitive.
One of the most critical aspects of effective breathing is the role of the diaphragm. When this powerful muscle is restricted due to stress, overactive traps, and tight ribs, it can lead to a host of health issues and postural dysfunction.
This is why I prioritize helping clients to improve their diaphragmatic range.
Here’s how you can optimize your breathing mechanics for better health:
The Diaphragm: Your Breathing Powerhouse
The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped muscle that sits at the base of your lungs, originating at the xiphoid process, weaving through the ribs and along the spine, and inserting into the central tendon of the diaphragm.
It’s the primary muscle used in breathing. When you inhale, the diaphragm contracts and moves downward creating space for your lungs to expand.
When you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes and moves upward, helping to push air out of your lungs.
This process is known as diaphragmatic breathing and is essential for efficient oxygen exchange. Sometimes, this is also referred to as “belly breathing”, since the goal of this pattern of breathing is to get the breath out of your neck and shoulders and deeper into the lungs.
I prefer to call it “rib breathing” since this cue promotes more movement of the diaphragm.
Why Your Diaphragm May Be Limited
Several factors can restrict the diaphragm’s movement, leading to shallow, inefficient breathing patterns:
- Stressed Breathing: Chronic stress and anxiety often cause rapid, shallow chest breathing. This bypasses the diaphragm and overworks accessory muscles, like the trapezius and Scalenes.
- Overactive Trapezius Muscles: When these muscles are overused, they create neck and shoulder tension and poor posture, further limiting diaphragm movement.
- Tight Rib Cage: Restrictions around the ribs, often due to poor posture or muscle tightness, can hinder the diaphragm’s ability to move freely, reducing lung capacity and limited thoracic mobility.
Recognizing the Symptoms
When the diaphragm is restricted, you might experience a variety of symptoms:
- Neck and Shoulder Tension: Overusing accessory muscles can lead to chronic pain and stiffness.
- Fatigue: Shallow breathing reduces oxygen intake, leading to tiredness.
- Anxiety and Stress: Inefficient breathing can worsen feelings of anxiety and place you in a chronic state of “fight or flight”.
- Headaches: Tension from poor breathing mechanics can contribute to headaches.
- Poor Posture: Limited diaphragmatic movement can lead to poor posture, exacerbating musculoskeletal issues and limited mobility.
- Digestive Problems: The diaphragm not only helps us open our lungs, it also acts like a pump for fluid transfer and internal organ massage. Restricted diaphragmatic movement can affect abdominal organs, leading to digestive discomfort.
Long-term Consequences
If left unchecked, limitations in diaphragmatic range can contribute to several chronic conditions:
- Chronic Hyperventilation Syndrome: Persistent shallow, rapid breathing can lead to dizziness, lightheadedness, and breathlessness.
- Musculoskeletal Pain: Chronic tension in the neck, shoulders, and upper back from overuse of accessory muscles.
- Postural Dysfunction: Poor breathing mechanics can worsen postural imbalances.
- Anxiety Disorders: Chronic stress and anxiety can perpetuate shallow breathing patterns.
- Myofascial Pain Syndrome: Chronic muscle tension can lead to restricted connective tissue, which can lead to feelings of stiffness and myofascial pain.
- Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: Bad breathing mechanics can also put pressure on the core and pelvic floor, leading to things like urinary incontinence, pelvic pressure, and prolapse.
- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome: Tension can compress nerves and blood vessels, causing pain, numbness, and tingling in the arms and hands.
Strategies to Improve Diaphragmatic Range
To overcome these limitations, here are some effective strategies:
- Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises: Practice deep, diaphragmatic breathing to fully engage the diaphragm. Lie on your back with one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Inhale deeply – long and slow – through your nose, letting your ribs expand. Think: Inhale to fill belly, ribs, and back. Let the exhales spill out naturally and fully to reset the diaphragm.
- Direct the Breath: When you inhale, try inhaling through your nose, directly to the back of your through – rather than up and in.
- Strengthen the Roof of Your Mouth: Try practicing tongue push-ups! Press your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Hold for 10 seconds. Repat 2-3 times. Try inhaling with a relaxed tongue vs tongue to the roof of the mouth. Feel the difference! For better breathing, try lightly pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth when inhaling for a more efficient breath.
- Stretching and Mobility Exercises: Focus on stretches that target the chest, ribs, neck, and shoulders to relieve tightness and improve flexibility.
Yoga poses like child’s pose, cat-cow stretches, and thoracic spine rotations can be particularly beneficial.
My personal favorite is fascia flossing (or resistance stretching) to break up any stiff connective tissue. Try this workout to improve rib movement and thoracic mobility. - Postural Training: Improve your overall posture to reduce strain on the neck and shoulder muscles. Incorporate exercises that promote good posture, such as wall angels and scapular push-ups, and consider ergonomic adjustments in your workspace.
- Relaxation Techniques: Reduce stress and promote better breathing patterns with relaxation practices like mindfulness meditation and breath-work.
- Physical Therapy: Work with a physical therapist to address specific musculoskeletal issues and improve your breathing mechanics. They can provide personalized exercises and manual therapy techniques to enhance diaphragm function.
- Corrective Breath-Work: Work with a corrective breath-work coach (like me!) to improve your breathing mechanics.
- Biofeedback: Use biofeedback techniques to increase awareness and control over your breathing patterns and muscle tension. This can help retrain your breathing habits and reduce reliance on accessory muscles.
- Corrective Exercise: Learning to connect your breath to your movement can help you realign your posture, however, corrective exercise can take this a step further to improve your overall muscle balance.
Optimizing your breathing by unlocking the full potential of your diaphragm is essential for overall health
As a breath-work coach and personal trainer, I can attest to the profound impact that efficient breathing can have on your physical and mental well-being. By incorporating diaphragmatic breathing exercises, corrective breath-work, resistance stretching, postural training, and mindfulness practices into your routine, you can enhance your breathing mechanics and improve your quality of life.
Prioritizing your breath not only supports your physical health but also promotes a sense of calm and relaxation in your daily life.
For better access to your diaphragm, try the following workout to target the myofascia around your ribcage: