What is Diaphragmatic Breathing?
It's just like it sounds, breathing through your diaphragm. Through deep breathing through the stomach, rather than the chest, the body can slow its heart rate and relax faster.
What does it help with?
A study by Michigan University of Health found that diaphragmatic breathing provides health benefits:
-
Lowers heart rate and blood pressure
-
Decreases muscle tension
-
Increases blood oxygenation
-
Brings warmth to the hands and feet
-
Increases energy and motivation
-
Improves concentration
-
Strengthens the immune system
-
Reduces stress hormones
-
Activates the body’s relaxation response (and reverses the stress response)
-
Can be easily implemented, requiring no medication or cost
When do you use it?
The great thing about this breathing technique is that it can be used at anytime. When learning a technique like this, it may be helpful to start with a moment to yourself to recognize the difference between breathing through the diaphragmatic vs breathing through the chest. In the upcoming video, we'll demonstrate this technique, which is recommended to use while sitting or lying on the floor.
How do you use it?
Check out the video below to learn how to diaphragmatic breath:
Here is an outline from the Michigan University of Health on how to follow the steps.
-
Sit or lie in a comfortable place. Close your eyes.
-
Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your abdomen. The bottom hand should do the moving. The top hand should remain still or only move as the bottom hand moves.
-
Inhale through your nose for about 4 seconds, feeling your abdomen expand. (You may feel slight tension the first few times you inhale.)
-
Hold your breath for 2 seconds.
-
Exhale very slowly and steadily through your mouth for about 6 seconds. The mouth should be relaxed.
-
Repeat for 5-15 minutes
Let us know if this information was helpful on our Instagram post!⬇️⬇️
