Dr. Marion Tharrey
March 3, 2025
Developing better breath awareness in yoga is well proven to reduce stress and anxiety. It also improves physical and mental stability. In this blog, we share some research to help you understand why our breathing habits are so important. We will also provide a few helpful ways to become a better breather.
Breathing is a fundamental physiological process essential for sustaining life. It is primarily driven by the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, which facilitate efficient oxygen exchange and distribution throughout the body. However, not all breathing habits or techniques result in the same level of efficiency.
Chest breathing, also known as apical breathing, relies primarily on the upper chest rather than the diaphragm, leading to an unhealthy pattern that hinders proper blood oxygenation and overall well-being. Nowadays, chest breathing is recognized as a form of shallow breathing, as it limits lung expansion and reduces overall ventilation efficiency (Boulding et al., 2016). It is especially common among people with higher respiratory demands, such as those with heart or lung issues. This pattern can also affect those with limited abdominal movement due to obesity. However, chest breathing is not limited to chronic illnesses or respiratory conditions.
Chest breathing often occurs due to physical factors such as posture and lifestyle. For instance, consistently slouching over electronic devices can put pressure on the diaphragm. This leads to a reliance on the muscles in the chest and neck for breathing. Additionally, a lack of physical activity can weaken the diaphragm, causing the body to rely on secondary muscles for respiration.
Prolonged stress and emotional trauma can negatively impact breathing function too. During acute stress, the nervous system’s fight-or-flight response triggers rapid, shallow breathing for survival. When this stress persists, this behavioral response can become habitual, resulting in a breathing pattern that decrease oxygen intake and increase feelings of anxiety.
The 2024 Gallup Global Emotions Report found that 37% of adults worldwide experience significant daily stress (Gallup, 2024). Even more concerning, a 2018 survey revealed that 74% of adults in the UK felt overwhelmed by stress at some point during the year (Mental Health Foundation, 2018). As stress is increasingly recognized as a major public health issue, apical breathing may be more common than initially thought. This is even true among yoga practitioners. In this context, simply instructing people to breathe in and out without facilitating conscious diaphragmatic engagement is unlikely to correct dysfunctional breathing patterns and may even worsen the situation.
During chest breathing, accessory muscles in the neck and chest, such as the trapezius and scalenes, are overworked to lift the chest and expand the thorax, placing unnecessary strain on the body. Without proper breath redirection to activate the diaphragm, this can result in:
In yoga classes full deep breathing should be highly encouraged as well as promoting its advantages to the practitioners. Merely instructing inhalation and exhalation fails to inform individuals on developing better breathing techniques, especially for those who are typically chest breathers. Such limited breathing instructions may inadvertently exacerbate issues for these atypical breathers, particularly for those using yoga as a stress relief method.
When practiced with intentional breath awareness and proper muscle engagement, breathing techniques in yoga and meditation can serve as powerful tools to reprogram dysfunctional breathing patterns. Guiding practitioners to consciously engage the diaphragm and direct breath to the lower body is essential. This breath awareness in yoga can help:
Teaching diaphragmatic breathing—where the belly expands with each inhalation and contracts with each exhalation—helps retrain the body. This practice addresses the root causes of apical breathing. Over time, it enhances both physical and emotional well-being, making it an indispensable element of a balanced yoga routine.
The diaphragm, a dome-shaped muscle separating the thoracic and abdominal cavities, is the primary respiratory muscle, responsible for approximately 80% of the effort during normal tidal breathing. The deeper and more controlled the diaphragm moves, the more air can be inhaled and exhaled, optimising the intake of oxygen and the expulsion of carbon dioxide.
During deep inhalation, the diaphragm contracts and flattens from its dome shape, moving downward. This action, aided by the intercostal muscles, expands the rib cage and increases the volume of the thoracic cavity. As a result, the pressure inside the lungs decreases relative to the external atmosphere, creating a pressure gradient that draws air into the lungs. This influx of air allows oxygen to enter the lungs and be efficiently absorbed into the bloodstream.
Upon exhalation, the diaphragm relaxes and returns to its dome shape, reducing thoracic volume and increasing internal pressure. This compression forces air out of the lungs, completing the respiratory cycle. This coordinated mechanism is essential for efficient breathing and optimal oxygen exchange.
Beyond respiration, the diaphragm has far-reaching effects on the body’s systems (Kocjan et al., 2017; Gerritsen & Band, 2018). Deep diaphragmatic breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), also called the “rest and digest” system. The vagus nerve plays a central role in this process (Gerritsen & Band, 2018). Originating in the brainstem, the vagus nerve, which is the longest cranial nerves in the body, branches out to various organs, including tongue, heart, lungs, and digestive tract.
The vagus nerve connects to the diaphragm through the esophageal hiatus—an opening in the diaphragm that allows the esophagus to pass through to the stomach. Additionally, the vagus nerve forms various anastomoses (connections) with the phrenic nerve, the primary motor nerve of the diaphragm (Bordoni & Zanier, 2013).
During deep breathing, the rhythmic movement of the diaphragm gently massages the vagus nerve, enhancing PNS activity while inhibiting the sympathetic nervous system (responsible for the “fight-or-flight” response). This results in numerous physiological benefits, such as lowered heart rate, reduced blood pressure, improved digestion, and decreased inflammation (Kocjan et al., 2017; Gerritsen & Band, 2018).
Furthermore, vagal stimulation promotes emotional regulation by calming brain regions associated with stress and anxiety (Gerritsen & Band, 2018). Maybe you’ve always wondered why your meditation and yoga practice has such a profound calming effect on both body and mind. There’s no magic—just the physiological effects of deep breathing.
The diaphragm is a central component of posture and spinal stability (Kocjan et al., 2017; Gerritsen & Band, 2018). Working alongside the abdominal muscles and pelvic floor, the diaphragm contributes to intra-abdominal pressure (IAP), which stabilises the spine during movement and physical exertion. This mechanism reduces the risk of excessive joint motion and contributes to overall trunk stability.
The diaphragm also plays a role in the coordination of limb movements. When the body prepares for movement, the diaphragm contracts before other postural muscles to stabilise the trunk. This “feedforward” mechanism ensures proper posture and spinal stability, reducing the risk of injury (Kocjan et al., 2018).
Research has shown that individuals with chronic low back pain often exhibit reduced diaphragm mobility and poor coordination with core muscles, which leads to compromised spinal support (Sannasi et al., 2023), highlighting the key role of the diaphragm in managing low back pain. Additionally, deep diaphragmatic breathing reduces tension in the neck, shoulders, and lower back, mitigating the effects of poor posture commonly seen in shallow breathers.
The diaphragm is more than a respiratory muscle—it’s a central hub influencing numerous physiological processes, from nervous system regulation to postural stability. Incorporating diaphragmatic breathing into daily practices, such as yoga and meditation, provides measurable benefits for physical and mental well-being. Understanding the diaphragm’s multifunctional role empowers us to harness its potential for health.
If you’ve ever attended a Zuna Yoga class, you’ve likely heard your teacher encourage you to “breathe deeply into your pelvic floor.” While it might seem unusual, compelling science supports this practice. Coupling this pelvic floor action with learning how to take a fuller breath are proven techniques for more effective breathing patterns that assist good health.
The pelvic floor is a network of muscles and connective tissues that play a key role in postural stability and in regulating essential pelvic functions, such as bladder and bowel control and sexual arousal.
The pelvic floor muscles are connected with the thorax and work in harmony with the diaphragm, transverse abdominis, and obliques to regulate intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) and ensure postural stability.
During inhalation, the diaphragm moves downward to expand the lungs, while the pelvic floor muscles naturally relax, allowing the abdominal cavity to accommodate the expanding air pressure. Upon exhalation, the pelvic floor muscles naturally contract in sync with the diaphragm’s upward movement. This co-contraction stabilises the trunk, supports the spine, and facilitates efficient air expulsion.
Under normal conditions, the coordination between the diaphragm, pelvic floor muscles, and abdominal muscles occurs unconsciously. However, during activities requiring greater oxygen demands—such as exercise, coughing, sneezing or singing—breathing mechanics become more deliberate. In these scenarios:
Recent research indicates that improper breathing mechanics, particularly breath-holding during effort can overwhelm the pelvic floor, as the increased IAP pushes down on the pelvic floor muscles (Talasz et al., 2022). If these muscles aren’t actively engaged to provide support, they may become vulnerable to strain or injury. The active gentle contractions of the pelvic floor muscles and abdominal muscles during expiration—when the diaphragm relaxes — play a crucial role not only for supporting the pelvic floor but also for protecting it from the strain caused by high IAP.
The pelvic floor is richly innervated by both somatic and autonomic nerves, establishing a complex link to the central nervous system (Alkatout et al., 2021). The vagus nerve, the primary nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system, governs parasympathetic control of thoracic and abdominal organs but does not innervate the pelvic floor region directly. Instead, parasympathetic innervation of pelvic organs (e.g., bladder, rectum, reproductive organs) is provided by the pelvic splanchnic nerves, which arise from the sacral part of the parasympathetic system.
During deep breathing, the synchronised engagement of the pelvic floor muscles enhances the connection between the diaphragm, pelvic floor, and parasympathetic nervous system. This coordination supports relaxation by harmonising the nervous system, promoting a calm and balanced state in the body. In that regard, recent study suggests that consciously activating the pelvic floor muscles during slow, deep breathing enhances cardiac vagal activity—the vagus nerve’s influence on the heart—promoting relaxation and reducing stress (Tatschl & Schwerdtfeger, 2022).
The good news is that engaging the pelvic floor during breathing is easy:
Engaging the pelvic floor while breathing is an excellent technique for reducing anxiety and stress. However, it is important to avoid excessive effort and engage the pelvic floor gently. Being too forceful can counteract the calming effects by increasing sympathetic arousal.
This mindful breathing approach:
The next time your yoga teacher invites you to connect with your pelvic floor, remember that you’re harnessing a scientifically validated synergy that benefits your body and mind on multiple levels.
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