So often, we focus on areas of our body that we want to tone or strengthen. Maybe you want 6 pack abs or stronger quads or butt. But what are you doing to strengthen your diaphragm?
I’m not sure what made me think of this in the last few days. Possibly, it was Wednesday night’s yoga class. I often try to have individuals bring focus to their breath. I love exploring breathing patterns and what can be done to ignite the parasympathetic system. When I focus on this, my mind quiets, and my body feels more relaxed, focused on the present moment. I offered some alternate breathing patterns in Wednesday’s class. It’s a beautiful experience when I can hear someone following along manipulating their breath.
As I contemplated breath work, I reviewed a few anatomy and physiology articles. This was a great reminder for me that the diaphragm is a muscle. Because our breathing is generally on autopilot, are we taking for granted this muscle? Should we be working to tone and strengthen it as we do many other muscle groups? In short, the answer is yes. Developing a stronger diaphragm will allow you to manipulate your breath much easier. This can serve you positively in many ways. From a physiological perspective, you’ll bring more oxygen to your entire body, your brain and all tissues need oxygen to function. Expelling co2 will keep your body in balance. Co2 is a waste product and we need to be able to expel it to maintain homeostasis.
From an emotional perspective, understanding how to control your breath can help you ignite your parasympathetic nervous system. Learning how to do this can support you in managing stress, whether you’re anxious, irritated, or overwhelmed. Manipulating your breath will quiet your body and mind.
Maybe I’ve convinced you or at least brought to your attention that you should spend some time strengthening your diaphragm muscle. How do you go about doing this?
Diaphragmatic breathing or belly breathing is a great way to focus on strengthening your diaphragm. Begin by laying on your back. If you place your hands on your belly but have them partially touching your lower rib cage, as you inhale and exhale, can you feel your belly inflate and deflate? Place your focus to have the belly rise/fall while strengthening your diaphragm. If you have the awareness of this and you feel like you can manipulate the depth of your breath, add a book on top of your belly. On the inhale, feel the book rise and on the exhale, the book falls back down. This is another exercise you can to do bring awareness but also add a touch of weight to the diaphragm. If you want to strengthen, it, even more, take a lightweight, either a small dumbbell or a weighted plate, and place it on your belly. Move the weight up/down as you focused on your inhalations/exhalations. Practice this a few times a week or daily.
Strengthening your diaphragm will serve you indefinitely. Its a muscle that we need to function optimally for our entire lives, well, only if we want to breathe 🙂

love and light,
Alli