Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing is a form of breathing exercise meant to strengthen your diaphragm, a large dome-like muscle just under your lungs and above your abdomen. It can be done by placing one hand on your belly, and one hand on your chest; when slowly breathing in, allow your abdomen to expand out while keeping your chest still. When exhaling, allow both areas to relax.
Doing this type of breathing can have many benefits for you, for example:
More oxygen:
When your diaphragm contracts, it is pulled downward into what was abdominal space. This allows the lower lobes of your lungs to expand downwards and outwards as well, taking in a greater volume of oxygen . This extra oxygen helps to increase your energy levels and decrease symptoms of fatigue and lethargy.
Cardiovascular benefits:
Your heart sits on top of the diaphragm, just slightly left of centre. When your diaphragm contracts, it pulls and moves downwards, which allows the ventricles (bottom portions) of the heart to elongate and drop further, while the upper heart stays held in place by the vascular tubes bringing blood in and out of it. This allows the ventricles to fill up with more blood to be pumped out, which can help to lower your heart rate and blood pressure.
Relaxation:
The vagus nerves (left and right) are major parasympathetic nerves that give our body the calming feelings that can help us to relax. They start in the brainstem (specifically the medulla oblongata), come down both sides of the neck, wind around the esophagus and through a hole in your diaphragm (called the esophageal hiatus) into the abdomen. When the diaphragm contracts, it squeezes gently around the esophagus and vagus nerves and pulls down, stimulating the nerves to initiate their parasympathetic activity, and promoting those feelings of relaxation and calmness.
Core stability:
Contracting the diaphragm initiates intra-abdominal pressure as it moves down into abdominal space, which then initiates spinal stability through erector muscles contracting in your mid to lower back. A pattern of breathing into this region ensures that stable pressure is maintained through breathing cycles. This can help provide strength to the area and prevent low back pain.
When lockdown happened this spring, I started to do yoga stretches and qi gong exercises on a daily basis. One of the fundamental parts of both practises was using abdominal breathing throughout the postures. I found that it helped to keep me calm and more focused on what I was doing, and allowed me to be more able to deal with my day-to-day stress and anxiety.
If you have any questions about Diaphragmatic Breathing, don't hesitate to reach out to me at the clinic or chat with me during your next appointment!