Diaphragmatic Dynamics: Enhancing Breath, Movement, and Core Function
Diaphragmatic Dynamics: Enhancing Breath, Movement, and Core Function
The 6-Second Breath Audio Track used in class— Downloadable Audio File here to Use During Your Personal Practice
Lesson 1 • Diaphragmatic Breathing: Core Stability and the Rhythm of Life
Attachment Points of the Diaphragm
The diaphragm is a primary muscle of our deep core and also serves as a primary respiratory muscle. It sits inside our rib cage like a parachute, separating the thoracic cavity, which houses the heart and lungs, from the abdominal cavity, which contains muscles of digestion and elimination. You can also picture the diaphragm as a mushroom top or a plunger—its edges attach to the interior portions of the lower six ribs. From this protected space, it sends down three strong tendons, called the crurae, which attach to the top three lumbar vertebrae. At the front, our diaphragm attaches to the xiphoid process, and at the bottom, it connects to our quadratus lumborum and psoas muscle, the latter being our primary muscle of locomotion (walking).
This particular connection came up in our last class, as we saw that backward breathing has the capacity to initiate more stretch from the psoas. This is particularly because, when we exhale, the diaphragm sucks up into the thoracic cavity and pulls the psoas with it—therefore, a subtle backbend like anjaneyasana has a more pronounced effect on the psoas when done with an exhale. The muscle is already taut, and any stretch performed at this point is even more effective.
The second important aspect of the psoas-diaphragm connection is the fact that the psoas is our primary muscle of walking. As Tom Meyers writes, it is this particular connection between these two that intimately connects the rhythm of breathing to the rhythm of walking. You could say that, from an evolutionary perspective, breathing and walking go hand in hand. Though our culture is very limited in its movement capacity, we have historically moved a lot to survive, and the more we moved, the more breath we needed. For this reason, it is often easier to relate to our breath while we walk, as it produces a slightly extended breath that is both easier to feel and easier to focus on. Of course, many times when we are walking from Point A to Point B, we are busy anticipating some event, so we often miss these opportunities. But if you really want to start getting to know your breath, you might need to slow down your walk a little bit so you can feel your breath while you move.
No matter which way you look at it, though, the diaphragm plays a vital role in our everyday health, which we will continue to explore throughout this discussion.
Movement of the Diaphragm
When we inhale, our diaphragm contracts, and the dome of the parachute flattens down about an inch. This downward push creates a larger space in the thoracic cavity into which the lungs can expand. Simultaneously, this pushes down into all of the organs, causing them to expand forward, which we feel as our belly expands. To visualize this, interlace your hands in front of your chest as you exhale. Then, press the hands down and allow them to spread open, with your elbows opening up to the sides (like you were cracking your knuckles, even though you probably never do that)—this imitates the downward expansion of the diaphragm as you inhale. With each exhale, allow the hands to recoil back up to the interlaced position in front of your chest, and with each inhale, gently push the hands down and open. This diaphragmatic ‘nudge’ pushes the organs of digestion and elimination out of the way to make room for the expansion of the lungs, and this nudge accounts for about 75% of our total air intake. Simultaneously, the lower ribs are elevated at the front, sides, and back of the body, which increases the diameter of the lower portion of the cavity—you can feel this by simply placing your hands on the sides of the ribs as you breathe and noticing their slight upward rotation. This expansion of the lower ribs accounts for the remaining 25% of air intake.
Though we often associate the expansion of the belly with diaphragmatic breathing, it can be more helpful to notice the lateral expansion of the ribs as an indicator instead. This is because the belly is not a consistent indicator of diaphragmatic breathing, as your belly muscles can actually move independently of the diaphragm. For some students whose breath flow is out of sync, they may even find that their belly pushes out on the exhale, the opposite of its normal healthy movement—something called “paradoxical breathing.” I myself notice this from time to time. Also, when we begin to discuss intra-abdominal pressure, we will be doing exercises that slightly restrict our belly expansion in order to strengthen our diaphragm. For these reasons, the attachment points of the diaphragm to the lower ribs become the most reliable focal point for diaphragmatic breathing, and it keeps your exertion balanced, as this movement is more subtle than the belly muscles.
It can be helpful to know that as the diaphragm contracts, it descends toward the pelvis. When this happens, pressure in the belly (intra-abdominal pressure or IAP) increases. This downward force applies increased pressure in the intestines, promoting the natural movement of the gut that moves food through the digestive tract. Diaphragmatic breathing is, therefore, essential for digestive health. This is why it is sometimes easier to practice this style of breathing before eating when there is more room for its expansion.
Slowing Down to Find the Diaphragm
As with all good things, diaphragmatic breathing happens naturally when we slow down. This type of breathing thrives when we take our time. If you breathe quickly, your breath will naturally move toward the ribs or upper chest, where we can get quicker hits of oxygen when in high need, like after running after your dog or baby to avoid a problem. Because chest breathing is neurologically tied to these types of extreme needs, we can remain stuck in a stressful state if we tend to breathe into our chest throughout the day. This is all too easy to do when our heads are forward at our desks, in cars, or on our phones.
This is a major cause of the epidemic of shallow breathing we experience in our current head-forward culture—studies have shown that the average adult tends to breathe 12-18 breaths per minute, whereas roughly five breaths per minute have been shown to be ideal for oxygen assimilation. We are breathing more rapidly and with less efficiency (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3655580/). The funny thing is that instead of addressing this concern, we are simply raising the average breathing rate to account for it. Ancient yogis, on the other hand, have said that we are born with a finite number of breaths, so the idea of breathing shallow and often is time taken away from this precious human birth.
All we need to do to start the healing work of diaphragmatic breathing is to slow down, breathe through our nose, and maintain a supported posture—the diaphragm naturally kicks in to do the rest. This slower diaphragmatic breath draws the oxygen lower into the lungs, where more blood is available to receive it due to gravity. It also creates a more efficient exchange with less waste and initiates the parasympathetic nervous system. It really might be that simple, which is why one of the leading authors of breath-based exercises, Patrick McKeown, puts it simply: “If you slow down your breath, breathe through your nose, and keep your shoulders down and relaxed, your diaphragm will engage.” Diaphragmatic breathing may not just be a matter of breathing into your ribs, but it also requires that you make the conscious effort to slow down a little more throughout your day.
Diaphragm and the Deep Core
Finding and beginning to work with the diaphragm can be more successful when you understand its role within our deep core. The diaphragm is a key player in our deep front line—a team of muscles that run along the midline of our body, providing hydraulic-like support for graceful, light movement. The deep core begins at our big toe and arches, runs up the middle of the lower leg via the tibialis posterior, and then fans out to enmesh with the adductor muscles of our inner thighs. These muscles connect via fascia to our pelvic floor, a series of muscles that line the inner aspect of the bottom of our pelvis. From here, the deep front line utilizes many different muscles of our torso, including the quadratus lumborum, iliopsoas, and diaphragm. The deep front line then enmeshes neurologically all the way to our tongue. Within our torso, the pelvic floor, diaphragm, and tongue all work in conjunction as we breathe, and they can be the unified team you need to know in order to get a more profound experience of your diaphragm throughout your day and during your practice.
As we saw earlier, healthy movement of the diaphragm aligns with a push downward to support your inhale and a suctioning up into the inside of the ribs as you exhale. The pelvic floor and tongue, via their connective tissue, mirror this same movement with each breath (Bordoni, Bruno, and Emiliano Zanier. “Anatomic Connections of the Diaphragm: Influence of Respiration on the Body System.” Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare 6 (2013): 281). When we bring our awareness to these spaces with this informed perspective, we find that the diaphragm is able to do its job more easily when the whole team moves together. To try this, though, we need to take a moment to talk about proper tongue placement, and later the pelvic floor, as they are just as important to understand as the movement of the diaphragm when working to breathe as an internal team.
Lesson 2 • Tongue and Diaphragm Synergy: Activating the Deep Core
Proper Tongue Positioning
Proper tongue positioning is essential for our path to better breathing. As studies at the University of Rome and Sassari concluded, “A low tongue position never guarantees the same breathing quality, especially when it’s involved in oral breathing.” (Bordoni, Bruno, et al. “The Anatomical Relationships of the Tongue with the Body System.” Cureus 10.12 (2018). This means that when our tongue rests flaccidly at the bottom of our mouth, we will never achieve our full breathing potential. The tongue is actually supposed to ‘rest’ in a slightly active position, lifting upwards toward the roof of the mouth, with the tip just behind the front teeth. This is commonly referred to as “the Spot” in myofunctional therapy, a form of physical therapy focused on better tongue usage. Though it may seem counterintuitive that a ‘resting position’ would require lifting up against gravity, consider that our core also ‘rests’ in a slightly active state—meaning when you relax, you don’t slump over but can relax in a position that maintains proper tone and spinal support. This is quite the same concept we see with the tongue, which is truly the tip of our deep postural core.
Finding “the Spot”
‘The Spot’ that our tongue seeks in its resting state actually refers to a specific part of the mouth called the ‘retro-incisive’ spot, just behind the front teeth but not pressing forward into them. To find the spot, you can make an ’n’ sound, and you’ll feel the tongue intuitively find ‘the Spot.’ You may notice that you can touch the spot with the tip of your tongue, but this doesn’t ensure that the rest of the tongue is lifted. Ideally, the entire tongue is lifted toward the palate with minimal effort. To feel this experience fully, you can do ‘tongue pops.’ Lift the tongue to the roof of the mouth, then lower the jaw and release the tongue to produce a ‘pop.’ Do this a couple of times, and then just leave the tongue up there instead of popping it down. Now the tip of the tongue is ‘resting’ on the Spot.
Within the Yogic Tradition, the subtle core strength of the tongue finds purpose in the practice of Khechari Mudra, first cited in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. This technique involves gently pressing the tongue upwards towards the roof of your mouth—a concept akin to the contemporary exercise known as Mewing. During meditation, this subtle upward pressure works effortlessly with the deep core musculature to promote a wonderfully light and buoyant meditation seat. Sri Shambhavananda has also taught during Satsang that this upward lift of the tongue can help to bring our awareness to the crown of the head and focus our inner awareness. In our daily life, we can utilize this upward lift of the tongue to ensure that we are not only moving from our core but also utilizing our diaphragm when breathing. It’s also exciting to know that recent research indicates that consistent, gentle pressure applied to the roof of the mouth over time results in expanded oral space, facilitating easier and more efficient breathing. Additionally, you'll notice that this delicate upward pressure from the tongue seamlessly complements the broader efforts of the buoyant core, enhancing your meditation sessions or your steady engagement in asanas like a delightful finishing touch.
Step by Step: Finding the Right Tongue Position
Close your mouth and relax your jaw. Your lips should be sealed, and your teeth should be lightly touching.
Place the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth. The rest of your tongue should be flattened against the roof of your mouth.
Apply light pressure to the palate with your tongue. Be careful not to push too hard, as this can strain your tongue and jaw muscles.
Breathe through your nose. This will help keep your tongue in place and maintain the seal of your lips.
Hold this position for as long as you can. Start with 10–30 seconds and gradually increase the amount of time you spend with proper tongue placement each day.
Training proper tongue positioning is best done during moments of your day where you can bring a lot of inner focus and take time to practice. One of the easiest places to start is during meditation; bringing your tongue to its proper placement helps you breathe through your nose and elevate your posture. Another moment to practice is when you are taking a sip of water or swallowing. We swallow almost 1200 times a day, so any work you can do to affect this moment will have a dramatic impact. One wonderful way to practice this, often taught in myofunctional therapy, is to practice swallowing with your mouth open and smiling. Sounds wild, right? How can you swallow with your teeth showing—won’t it spill out? It doesn’t, because of the amazing capacity of your tongue to hold it all together. Too often, we swallow without using the tongue, jutting our chin forward and bypassing this amazing teaching moment. By smiling with teeth showing, you’ll find yourself lifting the back of the head gently and slightly tucking the chin, and utilizing your tongue much more profoundly with each swallow.
Ways to Bring This into Your Day
Proper Tongue Position While Swallowing: This exercise helps to strengthen the muscles of the tongue and palate. To perform this exercise, simply swallow while keeping your tongue pressed against the roof of your mouth.
Proper Tongue Position While Chewing: This exercise helps to train the tongue to stay in the correct position while chewing. To perform this exercise, chew your food with your tongue pressed against the roof of your mouth.
Proper Tongue Position While Humming: This exercise helps to improve nasal breathing and strengthen the muscles of the tongue and palate. To perform this exercise, hum while keeping your tongue pressed against the roof of your mouth.
The Deep Core and the Tongue
To feel the relationship between the tongue spot and our core, you can try a simple exercise. Stand with your elbow bent at a ninety-degree angle and ask someone to pull down on it. First, try it with your mouth open and your tongue flaccid, and notice the instability. Then, try it again with your mouth closed and your tongue on the spot, and notice the stability. Next, have that person use your arm as an assist to help them up from a chair, like helping your grandpa get out of his recliner. Do it first with your mouth open and tongue down, then mouth closed and tongue up. Ask the person what difference they felt in your arm—you may be surprised that they can feel the difference even more markedly than you could.
To complete the puzzle, you can also try these same actions by pressing through the big toe into the floor as you press up into the spot. This will give you a visceral experience of the entire Deep Front Line in action, from big toe to core to tongue. The effect is more than just the tongue, toe, or diaphragm; it’s a more holistic recruitment of your entire deep core overall—i.e., the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. As one 2014 study revealed, correct tongue positioning during strength training increased an athlete’s power by up to 30% (Di Vico, Rosa, et al. “The Acute Effect of the Tongue Position in the Mouth on Knee Isokinetic Test Performance: A Highly Surprising Pilot Study.” Muscles, Ligaments and Tendons Journal 3.4 (2013): 318.)
Unloading the Diaphragm
This is particularly important in the learning process of unlocking the diaphragm, because all too often, our deep core musculature—such as the transversus abdominis and oblique muscles—are offline, forcing the diaphragm to assume more and more of a postural role in our daily life rather than serving as a facilitator of breathing. This means that the diaphragm stays in a semi-contracted, or flattened, state in order to provide more core support, which would otherwise come from the aforementioned muscles.
This creates a “hyper-inflated” breath flow, resulting in over-breathing, poor oxygen absorption, restriction of blood flow to the brain and intestines, tight neck and shoulders, flaring of the ribs, low back pain, decreased intra-abdominal pressure, and increased breathing rates, all of which lead to hyper-arousal of our sympathetic nervous system—a primary cause of stress and anxiety.
To feel what this would be like, take a breath into your diaphragm, and instead of allowing it to retract back into the ribs, keep it inflated. You’ll notice that it does indeed offer a large degree of core bracing, but without the exhale and ascent of the diaphragm, you’re soon pulled into shallow, rapid breaths in the ribs and upper chest. This is why in yoga and exercise, it’s so important to maintain a fluid breath flow—holding the breath indicates that you are recruiting your diaphragm to stabilize, which is both dysfunctional and harmful. Our favorite cue for this is: “If you aren’t breathing, it doesn’t count,” because any work done in such a way is not indicative of a sustainable movement pattern.