Reduce Stress with Diaphragmatic Breathing

Take a moment to notice how you’re breathing:

  1. Can you feel your breath?

  2. What is the quality of your breathing pattern?

  3. Where does your breath initiate?

  4. Where do you feel your breath the most?

  5. What is the pace of your breath?

  6. Are your inhalations and exhalations of equal duration?

Our breathing patterns can follow the fluctuations of our lifestyle. When we’re stressed, our breath might be more shallow and chest-focused. Diaphragmatic breathing is a breath that utilizes the most important breathing muscle; your diaphragm. In yoga, we use a breathing exercise called the Three-Part Breath or Dirga Pranayama as a way to find your most expansive breath and utilize your diaphragm muscle.

Diaphragm

Your diaphragm is your main breathing muscle that assists your lungs in its’ intake and release of oxygen. It is located between your abdomen and your lower chest, situated at the base of the lower ribs.

When you inhale, your diaphragm contracts and flattens downward to allow your lungs and ribs to expand. When this happens, your belly will naturally expand outward.

When you exhale, your diaphragm expands and rises upwards as your chest, ribs and low belly soften.

When we breathe in this manner, we increase the oxygen in the body and reduce stress.

In yoga, we cue a low belly breath as a means to direct your attention. Anatomically, your lungs breathe and your diaphragm assists your breath. To find your fullest expansion of your breath, direct your breath beginning at your low belly, and expand it upwards towards your ribs and chest. You’ll feel the sensation of your breath inside your entire torso as you breathe.

Diaphragmatic breathing helps you find your fullest breathing capacity, calm the mind, de-stress, find internal clarity, and ground you energetically.

How to Practice Dirga Pranayama (Three-Part Breath)

  1. To begin, find a comfortable seated position and elevate your hips onto a cushion or prop

  2. Alternatively, you can do this lying down on your back with your knees bent

  3. We’ll break down the breath into components before layering in the Three-Part Breath that you’ll commonly use in your yoga practice

  4. To begin, place your palms on top of your abdomen and exhale all your air out

  5. Inhale, inflate your breath into your belly like you’re inflating a balloon

  6. Exhale, allow your belly to soften

  7. Do this a few more times really feeling the expansion and softening of your belly

  8. Now, place your hands to your ribs and exhale all your air out

  9. Inhale, expand your ribs outward into your hands

  10. Exhale, soften your ribs in

  11. Do this a few more times feeling your ribs expand outward as you inhale and hugging inward as you exhale

  12. Now, place your hands to rest on your chest and exhale all your air out

  13. Inhale, softly lift the center of your chest

  14. Exhale, allow this area to soften

  15. Do this a few more times

  16. Now, let’s combine all 3 parts together

  17. Place your left hand onto your chest and your right hand on your low belly

  18. Inhale 1/3 of your breath into your low belly expanding your belly out

  19. Keep inhaling 2/3 of your breath up into your ribs

  20. Then inhale all the way up to fill up your chest to your collarbones

  21. Slowly exhale all your breath out from you chest, to your ribs, and all the way down allowing your navel to soften inwards towards your spine

  22. Continue to follow the path of your breath for a few cycles

See the full tutorial on YouTube.

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