Calm Your Autonomic Nervous System With Diaphragmatic Breathing (Part 2)

In last week’s blog I discussed your diaphragm. As a refresher, the diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that sits along the bottom of your ribs.  It is the biggest respiratory muscle in your body, and ideally, people use this muscle as their primary muscle for breathing.

The diaphragm is one of the four muscles that make up your inner core muscles. It is an important component in lumbopelvic stability and it has a strong effect on your pelvic floor muscles. Diaphragmatic breathing (DB) can be used to facilitate a pelvic floor contraction, help the pelvic floor relax, and it aids digestion by facilitating the motility of your digestive organs.

Using your diaphragm as your primary breathing muscle also helps decrease your blood pressure, increase your oxygenation and it helps to calm your autonomic nervous system (ANS) by helping to pull you out of fight-or-flight or freeze mode.

This may not be news to you, as many people are told to take deep breaths to help themselves calm down.  And maybe you have even tried this a couple of times... But did you ever wonder if you were doing it correctly? 

For many, diaphragmatic breathing can be a bit confusing, mostly because everyone seems to have a different idea of how exactly this should be done.  Even, as a physical therapist, I have been taught numerous ways to practice DB.

In this blog, I am going to give you tips on how to practice DB, specifically to help calm your ANS as well as to help you feel better.

We will have to start with a small anatomy lesson. (Don’t worry, it will be quick and painless 😉)

In your chest, inside of your ribs on both sides sit your lungs. Your lungs are organs that fill with oxygen when you inhale. You can think of your lungs like balloons, and when you inhale, they fill with the air that you breathe in.  It is here, in the lungs, that your blood picks up the oxygen it needs to bring to all of the cells in your body. Once your oxygen-rich blood drops off its oxygen, it picks up carbon dioxide and travels back to your lungs, via your circulatory system.  Once back in the lungs, your blood drops off the carbon dioxide that will then be exhaled before it picks up more oxygen for its next trip around your body.

Now, remember what I said at the beginning of this article? The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that sits along the bottom of your ribs.  It is the biggest respiratory muscle in your body, and ideally, people use this muscle as their primary muscle for breathing. 

When your body uses your diaphragm, the muscular dome descends down into the abdominal cavity. This does three things. One, it creates the space your lungs need to fill with the air you breath in. Secondly, because our trunk is a pressurized system, it creates a sort of vacuum that literally pulls the air into your body. This means that you do not need to forcefully breathe your air in when using your diaphragm. It will feel gentle and almost passive. Thirdly, as the dome-shaped diaphragm dips into your abdominal cavity, it displaces your abdominal organs, which then gently causes your belly to round out.

Please notice, that I said, it gently causes your belly to round out. Many people think of DB as belly breathing. This makes sense as many people are taught to try and make their abdomen push out when they inhale. However, pushing or forcing your belly out is not what we are looking for, nor is it needed when truly using your diaphragm for breathing.

Also take note that DB is a gentle, non-forceful type of breathing. If you feel like you need to force or suck your air in, no matter how much you try this type of breathing, you will likely benefit from some manual physical therapy to teach you how to activate and use your diaphragm.  It is also possible that you may have some restrictions that need to be released before you can reap all of the amazing benefits of DB.

Ok. Let's give this a shot!

Most people find that it is easier to use the diaphragm when their trunk is supported; find a comfortable place to lie on your back.

You can bend your knees and have your feet flat or allow your legs to rest over a pillow so they are supported. Occasionally, though, some people find it easier to engage, use, and feel their diaphragm when lying on their side.  My suggestion is to try it in multiple positions, taking note to how you feel and how hard or easy it feels to fill your lungs.

I find it helps to visualize your lungs and your diaphragm. Relax your belly. Relax your chest. Relax your head. Relax your jaw. Let’s begin.  Imagine your diaphragm descending down into your abdominal cavity as you inhale through your nose. Do this gently and slowly. The slower the better. Count the number of seconds it takes for your lungs to feel that they feel full. If it feels ok, allow your body to pause at the top of your inhale before you begin your slow exhale. (And it is totally ok if your body wants to exhale right away. Listen to what feels right in your body.) When ready, allow the air to slowly and gently come out of your nose.  Count the number of seconds it takes for you to exhale as much of the air out of your lungs that feels right.  Again, if it feels alright, pause for as long as feels comfortable before you begin your next inhale. 

Once you do this a few times you will likely see a pattern for how long your inhales and exhales tend to be. To truly maximize the benefits and calm down your ANS, see if you can make your exhale a couple of seconds longer than your inhale. Try not to get too caught up on this; just engaging your diaphragm offers you sooo many benefits.

The longer you practice DB, the better. Ideally you practice this at least 10 minutes a day.  As I mentioned in the last blog, I practice this every night as I am falling asleep. Often I actually do fall asleep!  And truly what a great time to practice for those who are super busy!  Many people find DB helpful for insomnia! And, even 3-5 slow gentle full diaphragmatic breaths can be truly magical to help you in times of stress, anxiety, pain or when you are emotionally triggered. Even this simple practice can take the edge off!

Next week, I’ll give you a few cues to help you if you are having any trouble with this type of breathing. So, stay tuned....

In Kindness,

Jennifer Chu, MS, PT, WCS, Mind-Body Coach
Owner, ITR Physical Therapy
Founder, Health Education Your Way

P.S. In case you missed it, part 1 in this series on diaphragmatic breathing can be found by clicking here