← EXERCISE LIBRARYPranayama
Diaphragmatic Breathing
Low, quiet nasal breathing driven by the diaphragm rather than the neck and upper chest. The base skill every other breathing practice on this list is built on.
- 01Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat, or sit upright with the spine stacked and shoulders unforced.
- 02Place one hand on the lower ribs and one on the belly so you can feel where the movement is coming from.
- 03Inhale through the nose for a count of four, letting the lower ribs widen sideways and the belly rise before the chest moves at all.
- 04Exhale through the nose for a count of six, letting the ribs draw down without squeezing or bracing the abdomen.
- 05Continue for 5 to 10 minutes at a rate of roughly six breaths per minute, keeping the breath quiet enough that you cannot hear it.
- 06Finish by releasing the count and breathing normally for one minute before sitting up.
- 01Breathe wide, not up — the ribs move sideways, the collarbones stay still.
- 02The top hand should be the last thing that moves, not the first.
- 03If your shoulders rise, the breath is too big. Take less air.
- 01Pushing the belly out hard on the inhale — that is abdominal muscle work, not diaphragm work, and it teaches the wrong pattern.
- 02Taking maximal breaths for volume — over-breathing drops CO2 and can cause light-headedness within a few breaths.
- 03Lifting the shoulders and gripping the neck to pull air in, which is the exact upper-chest pattern the drill is meant to replace.
Note: Reference material, not a prescription. Load, volume and whether this movement suits you at all depends on your assessment — if something hurts, stop and get it looked at.