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
- ^ "Learning diaphragmatic breathing". Harvard Health. 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
- ^ 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
- ^ "39.10: Breathing - Types of Breathing". Biology LibreTexts. 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
