As a voice coach and singer I am something of a professional breather. It is good to see your take on this because I have a big pet peeve with the "belly breathing" approach to the diaphragm. I always point out that breathing is simply an increase in volume of the chest cavity. Pushing the belly out with abdominal muscles doesn't actually increase the volume of the chest cavity. And neither does pulling the clavicles up as in high chest breathing. The key is activating the intercostal muscles to expand the ribcage outward and stimulating the diaphragm downward. The ribs are the walls of the chest cavity and the diaphragm is the floor. So those are what need to expand in order to increase the chest cavity. When the diaphragm goes down inside the torso there is a sensation fullness in the abdomen. But the "belly" shouldn't expand more than the chest. When the chest and the belly expand equally it feels like we breathe with the whole torso.
Recently I just started having anxiety attacks because of the stress of my business and of course everything else going on the way the world is in 2023. Thank you very much. These breathing exercises has really helped me cope with my anxiety. Huge thumbs up!
Gentleman, try Staphisagria 30, 5 drops in 1/2 a cup of water , ( Staphisagria is a homeopathic medicine, specifically for situations, when you have to tolerate nonsense 😅 ) it makes a difference to you , with the situation remaining what it is 😅😅
Amazingly GREAT!!!! THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!!! 8 decades going young with 15 years with uncomfortable breathing..Many attempts with several chiropractic technician who only did prolonged the uncomfortable process generated from too many long hours sitting at my easel...and just now looking for a National Geographic show, I accidentally saw the words in your title..to my surprise, I did try it casually and BOOM!!! lots of air IN and OUT of my chest!!! It was a Good sent moment just ahead of tomorrow's Strawberry Super Full Moon of June!!. With deep gratitude, Congratulations...from NYC!!.. I consider this a magnificent good omen to be able to come back to the gym..🎉🙂👏💯
I’ve been trying out some deep diaphragmic breathing to see if it can help my abdominal distention which according to research can be related to the diaphragm. Initially I did it in a way where I was expanding my belly forward a lot but then I tried doing it in a way that expands the ribs to the side as you say and wowwww it’s a totalllly different feeling. It feels much more right. It feels like the range of motion increased, thanks
Thank you, all the info I had learned from many other videos by other people was confusing me on what was going on. You really helped clear up what was going on and made sense of all the other videos and helped me get better results in my breathing.
Thank you, from the bottom of my diaphragm!!! I've been told by so many people so many different ways to breath. It became all too confusing and stressful. Following the words of my naturopathic doc - which is pretty much how you describe it - you just give a few extra tips, which is great!!! Thanks, again!!!!🙂 And once my abdominal /intercostal nerve entrapment procedure is done, I expect to be breathing much better as well!!!
I really appreciate this, I realized today that I had a tight diaphragm and at first I got a bit dissy and then kept at it and I feel amazing now, thanks so much for this video
Expansion through the back is also important. If you are expanding your side ribs you should feel your back expand. 360 degree breathing. If your pelvis and thoracic spine are rotated, this will also restrict your breathing.
My abdominal and diaphragm has been tight for 3 weeks after a severe emotional abuse and break down with hyperventilate. I do stretch as much as I can without hurting myself even more but it doesn’t get any better. What can I do? Which doctor can I see ? I feel like I can’t breathe .. I’m very fit person who’s unfortunately in a toxic abusive home and it’s taking a toll on my health severely
While watching this video I slightly crossed my arms and placed each palm on the side of my chest. Then I started to breath while feeling an expansion where my hands were, and focusing on (with ease) expanding those sides while breathing. While that was happening, the video said that some light headedness can happen and that's normal due to you not being used to it. I kept going till the video ended, by then all my muscles were much more relaxed. I hope it works for you as it did for me.
Anxiety and stress alone can cause difficulty breathing. It may not be a physical issue for you, but more of a mental one. It may be helpful to find a therapist or a counselor of some kind, or just anyone you know who you can trust, who can help you work through all of the emotional issues you're dealing with. I hope you find answers and relief soon ❤️
I can't answer everything and I don't want to disclose too much of my own business, but you and I go through the same thing. I had no idea what was happening either - I thought it was a serious physical medical problem - but the true answer was a huge surprise. First off, I am not a doctor, so take my words with a grain of salt and be sure to ask someone like your primary care physician what they would suggest in your situation. I do, unfortunately, have my own emotional hurdles, and learned why I feel certain ways and what to do when those feelings happen through professionals. This is going to sound crazy, but that's extreme anxiety caused by high levels of stress. You said you're in a difficult situation too, yes? Do you find yourself feeling worse whenever the situation gets out of hand or when multiple things go wrong in general? I'm way more likely to have an anxeity attack at night if my stress levels higher than normal. If my "situation" wasn't its chipper, quirky self, I'd be an anxious, irritable wreck trapped in freeze mode until it "felt better." Higher amount of stress leads to more serious anxiety attacks. That's why a lot of people who think they're having a heart attack are in shock when they learn it's just anxiety. It's a nasty little trickster! I highly recommend getting a therapist. That and searching up coping skills that can help reduce stress. I play my Nintendo Switch, hang out with my friends (I never share my personal business with any of them; I wanna have fun and solve my problems alone or with my own therapist), and write my war story (both protagonists struggle with things in the story like you and I do in real life. If I sit for too long and start to worry or feel sad, I get up and do something else. This is a long response and I realized your comment is one year old. I hope you're situation has improved since then and that you're feeling a little better. Take care.
I injured myself and had extreme constipation because of an exercise like this. I got my pelvic floor stuck for almost a year in the downward position. So it locked me up and couldn’t bare down for bathroom visits. I am now recovering by doing the opposite. I do the same thing you show but exhale all the air first, then mobilize my diaphragm by reaching from side to side and backwards.
Yes. I experienced a similar injury doin yoga pranayama exercise. This is the correct way to stretch your diaphragm. The inhalation phase as shown in the video is a diaphragm contraction exercise.
Have you seen more difficulty getting a full breath, feel restricted (not 'anxiety'), after march 2020 covid Imfectiom (sorry, that key is ot workimg well) - the severe one, mot what it boiled down to after. Feels restricted, and I cam't tell if it's muscular, skeletal, phrenic nerve, pulmonary or what?! Isight would be appreciated! Thak you!
I like to use this technique to improve my breath support while singing opera! 😀 You have to have a strong diaphragm with lots of space to hold in all that air. Standing in the appropriate comfortable position to support "the hiccup muscle" makes a big difference!
thank you so much for these techniques man, i have a question regarding this please, will this technique make my belly looks bigger or distended over time? I am actually suffering from Fibromialgia and this caused me chronic tension in diaphragm which caused my belly to look bigger the last four years, despite the fact that i am not fat at all plus I am not able to breath properly, so please let me know if possible, thank you so much
I have chronically tight hip flexors and low back tightness and pain. Pinched nerve in right psoas from it behind locked up for years. I’ve noticed I have a lot of rib flare and over the the past few years anxiety seems to have changed the way I breathe. I take short shallow chest breaths. Does anybody know if my psoas can be so tight and this chronic pinched nerve from being tight could be from not using my diaphragm properly when breathing. As in it doesn’t stretch the psoas as much and it became tight and weak? Any help will do. Thanks.
very good explanation i have a question lately I went for CT for my kidney stone they found my left Diaphragm lower part elevated doctor didn't say much is this will help I hope i found answer
Hi! When I push my belly outwards to my maximum capacity and when i do a max capacity diaphragm deep inhale (expanding belly) i get a pain in the mouth of my stomach. Is this normal?
I've been trying to fix my forward head/rounded shoulders for a long time now. I could pull a train with my upper back it is so strong from all the exercises, but still poor posture. And I get winded easily, I breathe really shallow. Gonna experiment with diaphragm exercises to see if these help. Thanks!
@@SIC647 My pecs and lats are not tight at all, but my thoracic spine is extremely rigid, especially rotation, I can't twist. And taking a deep breath sets off muscle spasms in my mid back. So frustrating, but hey, thanks so much for the suggestion!
Can this exercise help with diaphragm paralysis. I have had right side PD for a year now. They think it came from having RSV and doctors believe my body will heal itself in time. I am much better than I was a year ago.
This was happening to me as well, especially when I got hot and tired. I think from my own experience that it is a sign that you need to work on breathing and supporting musculature. I think it happened to me the most when I started slumping and leaning forward when tired at work. This is after years of hindsight and now having spinal problems, where as I think fixing posture and support would have at least made me aware and could have avoided self inflicted problems. Also sometimes you are just done physically, taking pain meds to push on or forcing odd positions to keep going.... Unless it's an emergency situation, don't do those things. Rest until you can hold decent form again. I used to just force myself physically and it doesn't pay off long term if you tear things up.
That would be hard to give advice without more of a discussion. Feel free to email us at jeffrey.oguin@chiropractorkirkwood.com to set aside some time to chat.
Your diaphragm is involved with breathing in. It's your abdominals that force the breath out. However, much of the outbreath should be passive. There are pulmonary conditions to consider. It may be advisable to consult medical advice.
Does right diagraph affect singing ? Mine is tight , and my air intake is limited because my diaphragm resista the air I breath in instead of sitting inside comfortably
If you ever heard me sing, you wouldn't be asking me anything about singing. However, yes, I would imagine that a decreased diaphragmatic excursion would interfere with optimal singing.
This technique helped me making my overly tight right side diaphragm to loosen up and indirectly relduce my pelvic pain VERY quickly! I use to have quite intense lower back and pelvic pain. I thought is was because of inflammation, but now I start to believe that it comes from a unbalanced & "stiff" diaphragm because this exercise and a couple of other diaphragm "re-sets" really took the worst pain away! Now I "only" feel muscle soreness (not that painfil) in peripheral muscles to the pelvic region. I think those will recover as soon as this diaphragmatic imbalance is gone (I plan to make it permanently gone).
can u update me? im a football player and a pro swimmer i have groin pain in that deep area it feels like aknife when it pops and im getting into the diaphragm stuff can u share your experience?
The truth be unbalanced of left and right. Left diaphragm has stomachache under base and back rib cage cover with diaphragm root. The movement of left and right like infinity sign.
You're a DC and you don't know the difference between a muscle contraction and a muscle stretch? LOL... BTW, pushing the arms down prevents upward rotation of the ribcage and sideways expansion. You might want to pass on it. Stop saying stretch!! Stretch is the opposite of a contraction. When we exhale we return to baseline. The only diaphragmatic stretch I can think of is yogic Stomach Vacuum techniques of Uddiyana Bandha and Nauli Kriya where the stomach is sucked in and lifted causing the muscle fibers of the diaphragm to stretch. They do not stretch (elongate) under normal conditions.
As a voice coach and singer I am something of a professional breather. It is good to see your take on this because I have a big pet peeve with the "belly breathing" approach to the diaphragm.
I always point out that breathing is simply an increase in volume of the chest cavity. Pushing the belly out with abdominal muscles doesn't actually increase the volume of the chest cavity. And neither does pulling the clavicles up as in high chest breathing.
The key is activating the intercostal muscles to expand the ribcage outward and stimulating the diaphragm downward. The ribs are the walls of the chest cavity and the diaphragm is the floor. So those are what need to expand in order to increase the chest cavity.
When the diaphragm goes down inside the torso there is a sensation fullness in the abdomen. But the "belly" shouldn't expand more than the chest. When the chest and the belly expand equally it feels like we breathe with the whole torso.
Recently I just started having anxiety attacks because of the stress of my business and of course everything else going on the way the world is in 2023. Thank you very much. These breathing exercises has really helped me cope with my anxiety. Huge thumbs up!
Thanks for sharing your experience
Gentleman, try Staphisagria 30, 5 drops in 1/2 a cup of water , ( Staphisagria is a homeopathic medicine, specifically for situations, when you have to tolerate nonsense 😅 ) it makes a difference to you , with the situation remaining what it is 😅😅
me too
Definitely one of the BEST techniques for diaphragm breathing - explained clearly and succinctly - thank you so much!
Amazingly GREAT!!!!
THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!!!
8 decades going young with 15 years with uncomfortable breathing..Many attempts with several chiropractic technician who only did prolonged the uncomfortable process generated from too many long hours sitting at my easel...and just now looking for a National Geographic show, I accidentally saw the words in your title..to my surprise, I did try it casually and BOOM!!! lots of air IN and OUT of my chest!!! It was a Good sent moment just ahead of tomorrow's Strawberry Super Full Moon of June!!.
With deep gratitude,
Congratulations...from NYC!!..
I consider this a magnificent good omen to be able to come back to the gym..🎉🙂👏💯
Blessings.
I’ve been trying out some deep diaphragmic breathing to see if it can help my abdominal distention which according to research can be related to the diaphragm.
Initially I did it in a way where I was expanding my belly forward a lot but then I tried doing it in a way that expands the ribs to the side as you say and wowwww it’s a totalllly different feeling. It feels much more right. It feels like the range of motion increased, thanks
Thanks for pointing this out!
How do you engage the ribs more than the belly ?
@@user-yn4wy7iq7srelax and think concentrate think and focus
Thank you, all the info I had learned from many other videos by other people was confusing me on what was going on.
You really helped clear up what was going on and made sense of all the other videos and helped me get better results in my breathing.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you, from the bottom of my diaphragm!!! I've been told by so many people so many different ways to breath. It became all too confusing and stressful. Following the words of my naturopathic doc - which is pretty much how you describe it - you just give a few extra tips, which is great!!! Thanks, again!!!!🙂 And once my abdominal /intercostal nerve entrapment procedure is done, I expect to be breathing much better as well!!!
Using this in addition to other techniques to stimulate left paralyzed hemidiaphragm....
what techniques did you figure out? i have similar problem, air doesnt go into my left lung at all
I really appreciate this, I realized today that I had a tight diaphragm and at first I got a bit dissy and then kept at it and I feel amazing now, thanks so much for this video
Glad it helped!
Expansion through the back is also important. If you are expanding your side ribs you should feel your back expand. 360 degree breathing. If your pelvis and thoracic spine are rotated, this will also restrict your breathing.
Thank you for the video and advise! I like your detail explaining why are you doing something.
Glad it was helpful!
Loving your content and definitely you. You are very good teacher and instructor.
I appreciate that!
So helpful, thank you so much.
Thank you! This is Perfect!
My abdominal and diaphragm has been tight for 3 weeks after a severe emotional abuse and break down with hyperventilate.
I do stretch as much as I can without hurting myself even more but it doesn’t get any better. What can I do? Which doctor can I see ? I feel like I can’t breathe .. I’m very fit person who’s unfortunately in a toxic abusive home and it’s taking a toll on my health severely
While watching this video I slightly crossed my arms and placed each palm on the side of my chest.
Then I started to breath while feeling an expansion where my hands were, and focusing on (with ease) expanding those sides while breathing.
While that was happening, the video said that some light headedness can happen and that's normal due to you not being used to it. I kept going till the video ended, by then all my muscles were much more relaxed.
I hope it works for you as it did for me.
Anxiety and stress alone can cause difficulty breathing. It may not be a physical issue for you, but more of a mental one. It may be helpful to find a therapist or a counselor of some kind, or just anyone you know who you can trust, who can help you work through all of the emotional issues you're dealing with. I hope you find answers and relief soon ❤️
I can't answer everything and I don't want to disclose too much of my own business, but you and I go through the same thing. I had no idea what was happening either - I thought it was a serious physical medical problem - but the true answer was a huge surprise. First off, I am not a doctor, so take my words with a grain of salt and be sure to ask someone like your primary care physician what they would suggest in your situation. I do, unfortunately, have my own emotional hurdles, and learned why I feel certain ways and what to do when those feelings happen through professionals.
This is going to sound crazy, but that's extreme anxiety caused by high levels of stress. You said you're in a difficult situation too, yes? Do you find yourself feeling worse whenever the situation gets out of hand or when multiple things go wrong in general? I'm way more likely to have an anxeity attack at night if my stress levels higher than normal. If my "situation" wasn't its chipper, quirky self, I'd be an anxious, irritable wreck trapped in freeze mode until it "felt better." Higher amount of stress leads to more serious anxiety attacks. That's why a lot of people who think they're having a heart attack are in shock when they learn it's just anxiety. It's a nasty little trickster!
I highly recommend getting a therapist. That and searching up coping skills that can help reduce stress. I play my Nintendo Switch, hang out with my friends (I never share my personal business with any of them; I wanna have fun and solve my problems alone or with my own therapist), and write my war story (both protagonists struggle with things in the story like you and I do in real life. If I sit for too long and start to worry or feel sad, I get up and do something else.
This is a long response and I realized your comment is one year old. I hope you're situation has improved since then and that you're feeling a little better. Take care.
I injured myself and had extreme constipation because of an exercise like this.
I got my pelvic floor stuck for almost a year in the downward position. So it locked me up and couldn’t bare down for bathroom visits.
I am now recovering by doing the opposite. I do the same thing you show but exhale all the air first, then mobilize my diaphragm by reaching from side to side and backwards.
Yes. I experienced a similar injury doin yoga pranayama exercise. This is the correct way to stretch your diaphragm. The inhalation phase as shown in the video is a diaphragm contraction exercise.
Take a breath 7 day
That's really nice in the neck. Thank You. I will practice tomorrow am.
Amazing content. Thank you!
Me starting to fall asleep while watching… @6:03 😳😱 Jason?!😅
Great video overall, thank you!🙏
Breathing corrected and heart rate elevated!🤦🏽♀️😉😅
Have you seen more difficulty getting a full breath, feel restricted (not 'anxiety'), after march 2020 covid Imfectiom (sorry, that key is ot workimg well) - the severe one, mot what it boiled down to after. Feels restricted, and I cam't tell if it's muscular, skeletal, phrenic nerve, pulmonary or what?! Isight would be appreciated! Thak you!
I have the same problem
You're amazing. Such simple and clear explanations. Pretty tricky explaining to students as a yoga teacher. Thank you ♡
I like to use this technique to improve my breath support while singing opera! 😀 You have to have a strong diaphragm with lots of space to hold in all that air. Standing in the appropriate comfortable position to support "the hiccup muscle" makes a big difference!
Thanks for sharing!
With added sound effects :) Really works!
This may help singing?
Yes. A strong diaphragm is very beneficial for singing
Awesome! Thank you!
thank you so much for these techniques man, i have a question regarding this please, will this technique make my belly looks bigger or distended over time? I am actually suffering from Fibromialgia and this caused me chronic tension in diaphragm which caused my belly to look bigger the last four years, despite the fact that i am not fat at all plus I am not able to breath properly, so please let me know if possible, thank you so much
How do you engage the ribs more than the belly ?
Love the new shirt!
Thank you, a most helpful skill to do everything.
but im not english, diaphragm sounds like "die a friend" to me😅easy to remember
I have chronically tight hip flexors and low back tightness and pain. Pinched nerve in right psoas from it behind locked up for years. I’ve noticed I have a lot of rib flare and over the the past few years anxiety seems to have changed the way I breathe. I take short shallow chest breaths. Does anybody know if my psoas can be so tight and this chronic pinched nerve from being tight could be from not using my diaphragm properly when breathing. As in it doesn’t stretch the psoas as much and it became tight and weak? Any help will do. Thanks.
very good explanation i have a question lately I went for CT for my kidney stone they found my left Diaphragm lower part elevated doctor didn't say much is this will help I hope i found answer
Thank you!
They say I have weak diaphragm and been on oxygen for months. Please help me out here
Hi! When I push my belly outwards to my maximum capacity and when i do a max capacity diaphragm deep inhale (expanding belly) i get a pain in the mouth of my stomach. Is this normal?
I've been trying to fix my forward head/rounded shoulders for a long time now. I could pull a train with my upper back it is so strong from all the exercises, but still poor posture. And I get winded easily, I breathe really shallow. Gonna experiment with diaphragm exercises to see if these help. Thanks!
You need to exercise to open the front of the body. Check out the content of Harris Conor.
@@SIC647 My pecs and lats are not tight at all, but my thoracic spine is extremely rigid, especially rotation, I can't twist. And taking a deep breath sets off muscle spasms in my mid back. So frustrating, but hey, thanks so much for the suggestion!
@@Fish-ErmanGet a DMX to see if your ligaments are torn in your cervical and thoracic spine.
Can this exercise help with diaphragm paralysis. I have had right side PD for a year now. They think it came from having RSV and doctors believe my body will heal itself in time. I am much better than I was a year ago.
Dank je wel Jeff, groeten uit Amsterdam Oost ?
말씀하신 내용은 동양의, 특히 한국의 옛시대인 고조선 시대때부터 전해오는 丹田呼吸과 같네요...지금 국선도를 속세에 전수하신 한국의 靑山스승님의 가르침입니다...
Why do I get aerophagia doing this?
Nice
Merci 🍀
Sometimes my diaphragm goes into a cramp. Especially when bending forward. Will this exercise help? Thank you for the video 🙏
This was happening to me as well, especially when I got hot and tired.
I think from my own experience that it is a sign that you need to work on breathing and supporting musculature.
I think it happened to me the most when I started slumping and leaning forward when tired at work.
This is after years of hindsight and now having spinal problems, where as I think fixing posture and support would have at least made me aware and could have avoided self inflicted problems.
Also sometimes you are just done physically, taking pain meds to push on or forcing odd positions to keep going.... Unless it's an emergency situation, don't do those things. Rest until you can hold decent form again. I used to just force myself physically and it doesn't pay off long term if you tear things up.
I get muscle cramps when I do this. Any suggestions?
That would be hard to give advice without more of a discussion. Feel free to email us at jeffrey.oguin@chiropractorkirkwood.com to set aside some time to chat.
My diaphragm is weak whlie sleeping,it can't fully exhale while i sleep,it wakes me up whith a jolt pushing air out,causing sleep problems 😮
Your diaphragm is involved with breathing in. It's your abdominals that force the breath out. However, much of the outbreath should be passive. There are pulmonary conditions to consider. It may be advisable to consult medical advice.
@@DrJeffreyOGuinSaintLouis thanx for the reply,I will consult my Dr,thanx
How do I get ahold of you.
I just went under the knife on lung and dyifram..
www.chiropractorkirkwood.com
Does right diagraph affect singing ? Mine is tight , and my air intake is limited because my diaphragm resista the air I breath in instead of sitting inside comfortably
If you ever heard me sing, you wouldn't be asking me anything about singing. However, yes, I would imagine that a decreased diaphragmatic excursion would interfere with optimal singing.
@@DrJeffreyOGuinSaintLouis just discovered you my man . This is the first video I have ever seen
when i tried the first exercise to fill the belly at that time my was paining. what can be the reason
belly*
This technique helped me making my overly tight right side diaphragm to loosen up and indirectly relduce my pelvic pain VERY quickly!
I use to have quite intense lower back and pelvic pain. I thought is was because of inflammation, but now I start to believe that it comes from a unbalanced & "stiff" diaphragm because this exercise and a couple of other diaphragm "re-sets" really took the worst pain away!
Now I "only" feel muscle soreness (not that painfil) in peripheral muscles to the pelvic region. I think those will recover as soon as this diaphragmatic imbalance is gone (I plan to make it permanently gone).
can u update me? im a football player and a pro swimmer i have groin pain in that deep area it feels like aknife when it pops and im getting into the diaphragm stuff can u share your experience?
Regarding lower back pain, isn't it just the fact that you can't stretch your diaphragm well if you have a tight back?
This got me lightheaded fast
I had to take Valium. Stupid diaphragm. Feels likes a rock
🙏🏼🕊️🧩🕊️🧩🕊️🧩🕊️🙏🏼
will this open the pecs
Strangely, one side I can do fine. The other side, the stretch turns into an explosive cough every time.
Lol i sleep on my left side. A lot of things make sense now
The truth be unbalanced of left and right.
Left diaphragm has stomachache under base and back rib cage cover with diaphragm root.
The movement of left and right like infinity sign.
cool
I got here by searching “stretches for dabbers” lol
You're a DC and you don't know the difference between a muscle contraction and a muscle stretch? LOL... BTW, pushing the arms down prevents upward rotation of the ribcage and sideways expansion. You might want to pass on it. Stop saying stretch!! Stretch is the opposite of a contraction. When we exhale we return to baseline. The only diaphragmatic stretch I can think of is yogic Stomach Vacuum techniques of Uddiyana Bandha and Nauli Kriya where the stomach is sucked in and lifted causing the muscle fibers of the diaphragm to stretch. They do not stretch (elongate) under normal conditions.
STOP SHOUTING. IT'S A TOTAL TURN OFF
STOP TRYING TO GET OFF TO TH-cam GYM VIDEOS! 😂