The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle at the bottom of the lungs that plays an important role in breathing.
When we inhale, the diaphragm contracts (tightens) and moves downwards. This creates more space in the chest cavity, allowing the lungs to expand. When we breathe out, the opposite happens - the diaphragm relaxes and rises up into the chest cavity.
We are all born with the ability to fully engage the diaphragm to take deep, restorative breaths. But as we get older, this habit gradually fades. Everything from the stresses of everyday life to the habit of “sucking in our stomachs” to look slimmer contributes to our shift towards shallower, less satisfying “chest breathing”.
Learning to breathe again with a diaphragm is useful for everyone. Diaphragmatic breathing (also called “abdominal breathing” or “abdominal breathing”) promotes full oxygen exchange - that is, the beneficial exchange of incoming oxygen for outgoing carbon dioxide. This type of breathing slows the heart rate and can lower or stabilise blood pressure.
Diaphragmatic breathing can help strengthen this muscle, which in turn allows you to spend less effort and energy breathing.
How to do it:
- Lie on your back on a flat surface (or in bed) with your knees bent. If it's more comfortable, you can leave a pillow under your head and knees.
- Place one hand on your upper chest and the other on your abdomen, just below your ribs.
- Inhale slowly through your nose, letting the air flow deep - into your lower abdomen. The hand on the chest should remain still while the hand on the abdomen rises.
- Tighten your abdominal muscles and let them sink inwards as you exhale through pursed lips. The hand on the abdomen should lower back to the starting position.
This exercise can also be practised sitting in a chair, with knees bent, shoulders, head and neck relaxed.
Practise for 5 to 10 minutes several times a day if possible.
Diaphragmatic breathing (“belly breathing”) can be easily performed with an audio recording. Access audio recordings developed by the IDARTO Centre subscription “Psychologist in your pocket”. These and many other psychological skills can also be learned in “Skills for Change”.
Source:
Harvard Health Publishing. (2016, 10 March). Learning diaphragmatic breathing. Harvard Health Publishing. Retrieved August 26, 2025, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/learning-diaphragmatic-breathing