A Breathing Series: Strengthen Your Diaphragm

In this practice,

We'll be exploring belly breathing and exercising and strengthening the diaphragm.

I invite you to lie face down on the floor or a bed,

Ideally a hard surface,

And you can stack your hands and place a cheek or your forehead on the hands.

Just make sure you're comfortable.

And if you're pregnant or have had any recent surgeries on your abdomen or if lying on your tummy is just simply not accessible for you,

Then do this practice lying face up or even seated.

If you are lying face up or seated,

Place your hands on your belly so that you can use the light pressure of your hands as a mild resistance for your belly and therefore diaphragm.

So find the position that best suits you and take a couple of full,

Deep cleansing breaths.

Begin now to focus on breathing a little deeper than normal,

Through the mouth or nose,

Whatever is most comfortable.

And invite your breath as deep into your body as you comfortably can.

And as you do this,

Feel your belly gently pushing into the floor as you breathe or into your hands if you're lying face up or seated.

Imagine using the pressure of the floor or your hands against your belly as a resistance.

So you want to breathe in to this resistance.

And as you continue to do this,

And I'm not going to count your breath,

Just breathe a little deeper than what is normal for you.

And play around with expanding through your belly rather than simply pushing it out.

And if it feels strange to you to be moving your belly as you breathe,

And if it feels a little forced,

That's okay.

Stick with it as your body needs to be reminded that this is the natural way of breathing.

So as you breathe in,

Your belly expands and pushes into the resistance of either the floor or your hands.

And as you breathe out,

Feel the belly drawing back in.

And just continue for another minute.

Slow,

Conscious,

Expansive belly breathing.

Now release this breath.

And if you're lying down,

You can roll over to one side and bring yourself up to a seat.

And simply notice if there's any subtle differences in how your breath feels.