Diaphragmatic breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing
Our diaphragm is the primary respiratory muscle in the body. Relearning how to breathe from the diaphragm is beneficial for everyone. Diaphragmatic breathing encourages full oxygen exchange — that is, the beneficial exchange of incoming oxygen for outgoing carbon dioxide.
Main benefits of Diaphragmatic breathing
It reduces stress
Improves core muscle stability
It lowers heart rate and blood pressure
Lowers your chance of injury or wearing out your muscles during a workout
Improves the body’s ability to tolerate intense exercise
How to practice Diaphragmatic breathing
Find a comfortable sitting or lying position
Place your hands on your ribs on either side
Inhale slowly through your nose, sending the air into your ribcage so your ribcage expands fully and pushes into your hands. Make sure to relax the neck and shoulders. Do not think about pushing your stomach out, it will naturally expand. Think more about expanding into the side and back of the ribcage and the stomach will expand with it.
Exhale fully through pursed lips, taking your time to empty the lungs completely. The navel draws inwards. On your exhale you will find as you were tightening a girdle around the center of the body.
Few ways to use Diaphragmatic breathing
When working out.
When feeling stressed or overwhelmed
To relax and let go of tension if you are having a hard time falling asleep
During a meditation
Start implementing Diaphragmatic breathing into your everyday life and enjoy the benefits!
Hi! I'm Sara, the founder of Withsara. I have been a fitness group instructor, Barre teacher and Yoga teacher for over 10 years. I am also a certified Nutritional Health Coach from IIN in New York, USA.
After giving birth to my two beautiful daughters, I have had to build up my body twice after my pregnancies. With my experience, I have created a workout that is a great combination of low impact, functional movement, pilates, barre, and yoga. It builds up deep core strength, creates sustainable and lasting change, relieves physical tension and mental stress, and gives you an overall healthier and happier body.
