There are times throughout our day where we are so worked up that we forget to stop and breathe.  Over the last few months I have been reminded over and over again to slow down and take a breath.  The kind of breath I am talking about is not our normal western style of shallow upper chest breathing.  Diaphragmatic Breathing or Belly breathing its the kind of breath I am talking about.

The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped muscle located at the base of the lungs and is the most effective muscle of breathing.  Your abdominal muscles help move the diaphragm and give you more power to empty your lungs. Diaphragmatic breathing is intended to help you use the diaphragm correctly while breathing. By doing this exercise you will do the following:

• Strengthen the diaphragm
• Decrease the work of breathing by slowing your breathing rate
• Decrease oxygen demand
• Use less effort and energy to breathe
• Learn to use the full capacity of your lungs
• Give you heart a well needed massage via your lungs

Diaphragmatic breathing exercises can can be done lying down, sitting, or standing it all depends on you and your comfort levels. The idea is to get comfortable and breathe slowly and gently thought the exercise. The steps below will guide you though the process:

1. Get into a comfortable position (Some people find laying down to be the easiest to start, you can use pillows to sport your head and legs) and relax your neck and shoulder muscles.
2. Place one hand on your upper chest and the other hand on your belly just below the rib cage.  This will allow you to use your hands as biofeedback to feel the diaphragm movement of your breath.
3. Take a breath in slowly through your nose and feel your hand on your stomach move outwards.  Keep your shoulders stable and do not allow them to move up.  Think of expanding your lungs down towards your toes. Another way to think of it is bringing in the life energy or Chi into the body and letting it fill you with life force.
4. Now breathe out slowly and gently through your mouth with pursed lips. The hand on your upper chest must remain as still as possible as the hand on your belly moves in towards your spine as you exhale. You may need to pull in your abdominal muscles at first to help move the diaphragm up.
5. Make sure to Exhale or breath out at least twice as long as you inhale or breath in.

Learning and practicing diaphragmatic breathing can be done within a short amount of time. You can practice this exercise for 5-10 minutes about 3-4 times per day. If you can’t to the 3-4 time a day, be sure to do it a very least once per day. Learning this process takes practice and patience.  As you become more comfortable with this exercise you will notice that you will be using it all the time. It is the natural way to breathe.  Us this whenever you get anxious, upset, or short of breath. This technique can be used within activities, such as walking, hiking, or carrying things around the house or office.