Diaphragmatic breathing

Animation of diaphragmatic breathing with the diaphragm shown in green

Diaphragmatic breathing, abdominal breathing, belly breathing,^[1] or deep breathing,^[2] is breathing that is done by contracting the diaphragm, a muscle located horizontally between the thoracic cavity and abdominal cavity. Air enters the lungs as the diaphragm strongly contracts, but unlike during traditional relaxed breathing (eupnea) the intercostal muscles of the chest do minimal work in this process. The belly also expands during this type of breathing to make room for the contraction of the diaphragm. ^[3]

See also

• Breath
• Buteyko method
• Circular breathing
• Kussmaul breathing
• Pranayama – a traditional Yogic practice of slowing and extending the breaths, used during meditation
• Shallow breathing – a type of breathing that is mutually exclusive to diaphragmatic breathing and is associated with multiple anxiety disorders
• Wim Hof method
• Complete breathing

References

1. "Learning diaphragmatic breathing". Harvard Health. 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
2. Abdominal Breathing (PDF) (leaflet), Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Foundation Trust, February 2013, 699/VER3, archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-07, retrieved 2023-09-09
3. "39.10: Breathing - Types of Breathing". Biology LibreTexts. 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2023-02-23.