Diaphragmatic breathing is also known as belly breathing. It is a great way to refocus and calm the body.  It’s also a great habit to create to build resilience. When you make a daily habit of breathing exercises, whatever kind you choose, it becomes a way to refocus when overwhelmed; calm yourself in chaos or take a mindfulness break to get through a day. 

 

Belly breathing can also be helpful to focus on breathing when you are in pain, or to help treat chronic pain. When you find the pain taking your attention, try to refocus. 

 

Find a comfortable spot, this is preferably done lying down, but can be done in sitting with your feet flat on the floor.  If you are lying down (this helps you focus on breathing and not on balance) you may want to have a bolster or roll under the legs.  If you have a physioball this is even better to prop your legs up on.  When your knees are bent, this helps reduce and discomfort in the back if lying flat is painful. 

 

Once in a comfortable position, think about changing a shallow pain breath to deep diaphragmatic breathing.  Breath out all the chaos, anxiety, or pain as you shut your eyes. Inhaling as deeply as you can and then relaxing your shoulders (which can become tense with pain) and exhale with noise through your mouth.  ON the next breath, place one hand on your sternum (breastbone) and the other on abdomen.   This tactile cue helps you feel the air lift the sternum and the abdomen on inhalation and fall as you exhale.  It’s important not to change the speed of your breath, but to be mindful of where the breath is moving in your body.  If your mind wanders, come back to how breathing deeply feels in your body, sending that thought away for later. Refocus on the breath, relax the shoulders, and focus on the breath in and out, nice deep breaths.  Each time inhaling as deep as you can, so you feel the ribcage expand circumferentially, and then fully exhaling through the mouth. 

 

Breath focus will get you in touch with your body and take focus from the chaos, feelings of being overwhelmed or any pain.  If it is done as a daily practice, it can help you start your day off in a calmer state than without doing mindful breath work.   You learn how to elicit the relaxation response so that when a moment of fight or flight comes, you have an automatic go-to for calming.   

 

Once you master diaphragmatic or belly breathing, you can add an affirmation in to further enrich the breathing experience.  Perhaps you recite your favorite Bible verse or you think of inhaling all God’s promises for your life, and breath out all the negativity that can enter during a day on earth,  It can even be a time of gratitude, where you are thankful for everything from your breath to each blessing you can think of. 

 

Here’s a quick recap of the steps for diaphragmatic breathing:

1.      Sit quietly with feet flat or lay done comfortably

2.      Close your eyes and relax any tense muscles, making sure to relax your shoulders

3.      Place one hand on the sternum/breastbone and the other on the abdomen

4.      Breath in through the nose and feel the sternum rise and the abdomen expand, as your shoulders remain relaxed and lowered.

5.      Exhale or breath out through your mouth as you feel your abdomen cave in and sternum lower.

6.      Repeat this process for 4-5 breaths, as thoughts enter your mind acknowledge them and send them away.  Repeat for several minutes to feel a sense of calm.

7.      Layer the breath with an affirmation, Bible verse or gratitude practice to add to the experience.

Diaphragmatic breathing is not only a great way to refocus the mind, but if done as a daily practice it helps build resilience for the days when life happens!

Why not give focused breath work, diaphragmatic or belly breathing a try? It’s free, you can do it anytime and anywhere and it can be a very effective technique used to refocus the mind and body. Taking a breathe can create that pause that you need to revisit a question, make a decision or become more mindful of the moment. There are many more breathing techniques that can help enhance mood, restore energy, and calm the mind. This is one simple one to get started!