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Belly Breathing vs Abdominal Opposition

A lot of people have misconceptions in regards to Diaphragmatic Breathing. Quite frequently I will work with someone who believes they know how to leverage their diaphragm effectively because they learned how to do Belly Breathing in a yoga, meditation, or singing instruction.

While wellintentioned, the instruction to allow the belly to move forward during inhalation actually prevents effective coordination of the diaphragm and abdominals and robs us of the following benefits:

1. Circumferential expansion of the rib cage and abdominal cavity
2. Improved symmetry of movement of the diaphragm
3. Control of the center of mass
4. Posterior spinal decompression
5. Thoracoabdominal pelvic stability
6. Dynamics of the thorax and pelvis

During Belly Breathing, the downward force of the diaphragm and conscious relaxation of the abdominals promotes the following:

1. Movement of the guts forward, down and out
2. Shifting of the center of mass forward
3. Ineffective recruitment of deeper abdominals and pelvic diaphragm
4. Decreased thoracoabdominal pelvic stability
5. Increased asymmetry in the movement of the diaphragm(s)
6. Increased demand on the anterior pelvic diaphragm
7. Decreased dynamics of the thorax and pelvis