Diaphragmatic Breathing
By Rolf Sovik
Breath training is an integral part of yoga as well as a means of
creating a more balanced, healthy lifestyle. Practicing relaxed,
diaphragmatic breathing is refreshing and restful, and creates a sense
of well-being. It calms the nervous system, helps prevent psychosomatic
disturbances, including panic episodes, and centers attention. Because
we are always breathing, breath awareness is a self-management tool
that is useful even during the busiest times of the day.
For students of yoga, breath training is an indispensable preparation for the proper performance of asana and pranayama
and for deepening meditation. It involves learning to recognize the
sensations that accompany diaphragmatic breathing and gradually
becoming accustomed to breathing deeply and smoothly.
Anatomy of the Breath
It
surprises many people to learn that the lungs are not muscles. Without
help, they cannot move air in and out of the body. This fact lies at
the heart of breath instruction: Questions about how to breathe are
really questions about which muscles to use in order to expand the
lungs and draw air into them.
We have choices regarding the
muscles we use for breathing. The muscles of the neck and upper torso,
by themselves, have a relatively minor effect on breathing. Breathing
with these muscles alone results in bringing in air in small amounts.
The isolated use of these muscles for breathing, called clavicular
breathing, is most commonly seen in people who have lung illnesses,
such as emphysema, that limit their ability to draw a deep breath.
The
bands of muscle (the intercostal muscles) that lie between the ribs
account for about 20% of normal breathing. Because these muscles
surround the lungs, it might seem natural to breathe with them. In
fact, after strenuous exercise nothing is more satisfying than to
breathe deeply with the mouth open and the chest heaving. But in normal
circumstances, chest or thoracic breathing is considerably less
dramatic—the ribs simply rise and fall with the inhalation and the
exhalation.
Although there is a certain logic to breathing
with the chest muscles—that is where the lungs are, after all—it is not
helpful to use these muscles as the primary tool for everyday
breathing. Breathing primarily with the chest muscles makes breathing
too labored. The effect is to arouse the sympathetic nervous system and
to maintain levels of tension that sap energy and dramatically increase
your susceptibility to emotional disturbances. Overusing the chest
muscles for breathing is a subtle but major cause of physical and
emotional distress. 
Elements of both clavicular and thoracic
breathing are found in normal breathing, but the muscle naturally
intended for expanding the lungs is the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a
dome-shaped muscle that lies horizontally inside the torso, dividing it
into two separate chambers—the chest (thoracic) cavity and the
abdominal/pelvic cavity. The chest contains the lungs and heart; the
lower chamber of the torso contains the organs of digestion,
assimilation, elimination, and reproduction.
When the muscle
fibers of the diaphragm contract they pull the top of the diaphragm
down. This has two noticeable results. The lungs expand as they fill
with air and, at the same time, the abdominal organs are compressed
downward, pressing out against the abdomen.
Exhalation is caused
by a different mechanism. When the muscle fibers of the diaphragm
relax, the natural elasticity of the lungs and rib cage causes the
lungs to shrink, and air flows out of the lungs. Muscle contraction is
only minimally involved in this motion. This is why you exhale as you
sink into your favorite chair. Exhalation is relaxing.
The
actual look and feel of diaphragmatic breathing varies, depending upon
one’s body posture. Nonetheless, the basic principles of breathing
remain constant. Contracting the diaphragm causes the lungs to expand
and air to flow in. Relaxing the diaphragm allows the rib cage and
lungs to contract and air to flow out.
The aim of breath
training is not to become obsessed with these mechanics, but to use
them as a framework for feeling the nurturing qualities of good
breathing. With just a small investment of time, you can lay the
groundwork for good health and an advancing yoga practice.
The Practice
Breathing in Crocodile Pose
The
best posture for sensing the flow of the breath is the crocodile pose.
When you are lying prone on your stomach, with arms folded at about a
45 degree angle above your shoulders, your body will naturally begin to
breathe diaphragmatically. Use the crocodile pose to counteract the
normal abdominal tension that arises whenever you are nervous. It will
automatically get you started toward a more natural breathing style.
Even advanced students find tension in the abdomen by the end of the
day. The crocodile pose offers a chance to unblock the breath and
release pent-up tension.
There are several versions of the
crocodile pose, each helpful and each designed to accommodate different
body types and different levels of flexibility. You may turn your feet
in, with legs resting relatively close together, or turn them out,
separating the legs until the inner thighs rest comfortably on the
floor. Rest your forehead on your folded forearms, elevating the upper
chest slightly off of the floor. If your shoulders or arms are
uncomfortable, you may prop your upper body with a cushion or a blanket
(drape your chin over the cushion). You may also widen the elbows and
partially open the forearms allowing the hands to separate. In all
cases, the abdomen rests on the floor.
As you rest in the
pose, relax your breathing and begin to observe the movements of your
body. There are three main observation points: the abdomen, sides of
the rib cage, and the lower back. Practice the following exercise to
bring each of them to awareness.
- First, feel the ceaseless
movement of your breath as it flows out and in. The breath will find
it's own pace, and even if you believe the speed to be too fast or too
slow, you don't need to control it, simply let your body breathe.
- Now
bring your awareness to your abdomen and feel how it presses against
the floor as you inhale and recedes (although remaining in contact with
the floor) as you exhale. Relax the muscles in your belly, and let
these movements of the abdomen become deep and soothing.
- Now
shift your attention to the sides of the rib cage. You'll find that the
low ribs expand laterally with the inhalation and contract with the
exhalation. The ribcage expands as the diaphragm contracts, and the
ribs return inward as the diaphragm relaxes.
- Finally,
shift your attention to your lower back. Notice that as you inhale, the
back rises, and as you exhale, the back falls. Soften your back muscles
and allow the breath to flow without resistance. This is a particularly
relaxing sensation, and you may find that it helps relieve lower back
tension that is otherwise difficult to release.
- To
deepen the breath even further, you might wish to try the following
experiment. At the end of the exhalation, breathe out a little more
than usual by continuing to press the abdomen toward the spine. Then,
as you slowly inhale, soften the muscles of the lower back and abdomen,
and let the back rise and expand. You may feel as if the lower back is
being stretched by the deep inhalation. Repeat the extra exhalation and
the expanded inhalation for three to five breaths, until you become
accustomed to the feeling of the deep inhalation. Then return to your
normal exhalation—but continue to let the lower back expand as you
inhale. Your breath will feel slower and deeper.
- Remain
resting in crocodile pose for a total of seven to ten minutes. Feel the
breath around the entire periphery of your midsection—front, sides, and
back. Your breathing will become extremely relaxed. When you are
refreshed, come out of the posture slowly, creating a smooth transition
back to normal breathing.
Breathing in Relaxation Pose
A simple version of diaphragmatic breathing is accomplished in shavasana (relaxation
pose). In this posture, the navel region rises with each inhalation and
falls with each exhalation. To experience this, try the following
exercise:
- Lie on your back on a flat carpeted surface. Support your head and neck with a thin cushion.
- Bring your awareness to your breath and feel the continuous flow of exhalations and inhalations.
-
Soften the rib cage and it will become almost completely motionless (of
course, if you breathe more deeply, you can make the ribcage move, but
this takes more effort and misses the point of the exercise).
- Next,
explore the respiratory movements further by raising your arms to the
carpet over your head. This will accentuate the rise and fall of the
abdomen.
- Finally, return your arms to your sides and observe your breathing for a number of minutes, allowing your body to relax.
Sitting Up to Breathe
When
you sit erect, the movements of breathing will no longer feel the same
as when you were lying on your back. Breathing is still diaphragmatic,
but the vertical axis of the body changes the effect of the diaphragm’s
action on the lower torso. You can easily feel this.
- Sit erect in any seated pose (sitting on a flat seated chair will do fine).
- Rest your hands in your lap. Close your eyes and turn your attention to the flow of exhalations and inhalations.
- Soften the abdomen and sides of the rib cage. Let the muscles of the back support your posture with only modest muscle tone.
- Now
notice how, if you let it, your breathing results in a quiet expansion
of the sides of the rib cage. The front wall of the abdomen also
expands, but the movement is much less than it was in shavasana.
- Continue
observing the breath until it’s pace and depth feel absolutely
comfortable and relaxed (your breathing will be a little faster and
will feel higher in the torso than it does lying down). As you observe
each inhalation and exhalation, let your mind relax.
The Payoff
The
rewards of this training are quite remarkable. You will find that you
have a tool to maintain your equilibrium in situations where you used
to become tense and uncomfortable. Your everyday level of internal
tension will lessen, allowing you to move your body and concentrate
your mind with greater ease. As you continue on the path of yoga,
diaphragmatic breathing will serve as a foundation for many other
practices. And when fears seem overwhelming in the course of daily
living, you will have an internal friend to comfort your mind. All in
all, as you improve the quality of your breathing, you will improve the
quality of your life.
Rolf Sovik, Psy.D., holds a doctorate in clinical psychology.
His doctoral project examined the effects of breath training in the
treatment of panic disorder. He is the president of the Himalayan Institute, and serves as the director of the Institute's branch center in Buffalo, New York.
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