Do you ever feel like your breathing is shallow? If so, you may need to work on strengthening your diaphragm. The diaphragm is a muscle located at the base of your lungs that helps you breathe. When this muscle is weak, it can cause problems with breathing and even lead to respiratory disorders. That’s why it’s important to practice yoga poses that help to strengthen the diaphragm. In this article, we will discuss 5 yoga poses that can help strengthen your diaphragm and improve your overall breathing.

The Science of Deeper Breathing in Yoga: Breathing Exercises and Poses to Strengthen the Diaphragm

When we think of taking deep breaths, we usually envision expanding our chests. However, this type of breathing actually engages the superficial muscles of the chest and can lead to more shallow breathing overall. Instead, try thinking about pushing your belly out as you inhale deeply. This will ensure that you are engaging your diaphragm, which is a large muscle located at the base of your lungs. The diaphragm is responsible for approximately 70% of all air movement in and out of the lungs.

Here are 5 yoga poses that will help you to strengthen your diaphragm and improve your breathing:

1. Camel Pose – Ustrasana

Camel pose is another great way to open up the chest and lungs while also strengthening the muscles of the back. This pose can be challenging for beginners, so be sure to listen to your body and only go as far as you feel comfortable.

To do this pose:

• Kneel on the ground with your feet hip-width apart and your knees directly below your hips.
• Place your hands on the backs of your hips, then begin to arch your back and lean back into Camel Pose.
• If you feel comfortable, you can place your hands on your heels.
• Hold for 5-15 breaths.

2. Bridge Pose – Setu Bandhasana

Bridge pose is a great way to open up the chest while also strengthening the muscles of the back and legs. This pose can be challenging for beginners, so be sure to listen to your body and only go as far as you feel comfortable.

To do this pose:

• Lie on your back with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent.
• Place your hands on the ground beside you, then press down on your feet and begin to lift your hips off the ground.
• Keep your shoulders down away from your ears, and hold for 5-15 breaths.

3. Cobra Pose – Bhujangasana

Cobra pose is a gentle backbend that helps open up the chest and lungs. This pose also helps to tone the muscles of the back, shoulders, and abdominals.

To do this pose:

• Lie on your stomach with your feet hip-width apart and your palms flat on the ground beside your chest.
• Pressing your pelvis and tops of the feet into the ground, begin to straighten your arms and lift your chest off the ground.
• Keep your shoulders down away from your ears, and look up toward the ceiling.
• Hold for 5-15 breaths.

4. Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)

This pose is a great way to stretch out the muscles of the back and shoulders while also strengthening the diaphragm. It can be challenging for beginners, so be sure to listen to your body and only go as far as you feel comfortable.

To do this pose:

• Sit on the ground with your legs extended straight in front of you.
• Flex your feet and press down through your heels.
• Reach your arms up toward the ceiling, then begin to hinge forward from the hips, keeping a flat back.
• As you fold forward, place your hands on the ground beside your feet or on your shins.
• Hold for 5-15 breaths.

5. Fish Pose (Matsyasana)

Fish pose is a great way to open up the chest while also strengthening the muscles of the neck and shoulders. This pose can be challenging for beginners, so be sure to listen to your body and only go as far as you feel comfortable.

To do this pose:

• Lie on your back with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent.
• Place your hands on the ground beside you, then press down on your feet and begin to lift your hips off the ground.
• Keep your shoulders down away from your ears, and hold for 5-15 breaths.

These are just a few of the many yoga poses that can help to strengthen your diaphragm.  Incorporate these poses into your practice a few times per week and you should start to see an improvement in your breathing.

Benefits of diaphragmatic breathing

There are many benefits to diaphragmatic breathing. It is at the core of meditation practice, which has been shown to be effective in treating a variety of ailments including digestive problems, depression, anxiety, and sleeplessness.

Here are a few more advantages this type of breathing can offer:

• It makes you feel more comfortable and less stressed
• It reduces the risk of muscle strain or injury.
• It causes your rate of breathing to slow, which means you burn less energy.
• It aids in the maintenance of core muscle strength.
• It improves your body’s capacity to withstand arduous activity.
• It reduces your heart rate.
• It lowers your blood pressure.
• It aids in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Tips for getting started and staying motivated

Setting a schedule might help you develop the habit of diaphragmatic breathing exercises. To get into a nice mood, try the following:

• Exercise in the same location each day. somewhere quiet and pleasant.
• If you’re not doing it correctly or sufficiently, don’t worry. This might just lead to further tension.
• Get rid of the thoughts that are causing you stress. Instead, pay attention to your breathing sounds and rhythm or the surroundings.
• Practice deep breathing at least once or twice per day. To strengthen the habit, try to perform them at the same time each day.
• Spend 10 to 20 minutes at a time performing these exercises.

Do You Need Vinyasa Yoga Classes You Can Trust?

Vinyasa Flow classes at Yoga Flow SF mix traditional yoga poses with athletic movements to create a vigorous and balanced workout. Our instructors’ energy during the class is infectious, making it an empowering experience for all levels of practitioners—from beginner to advanced. Whether you’re looking for inspiration or just need something more challenging in your life, our heated live-music sessions will make the most out of every session! We offer modifications that simplify the poses to be more suitable for beginners or some that amplify them for our advanced practitioners so you can choose which one is better suited based on your skill level! Specifically, this type of yoga really helps with creating strength and flexibility in both body AND mind while challenging us to grow into stronger versions of ourselves. Book your first class now at one of our San Francisco locations or our new location in downtown Walnut Creek!

Previous Article          Home          Next Article