Diaphragmatic Breathing: Give Yourself a Relaxing Massage From the Inside Out

I’m pretty sure if you have come in for a therapeutic massage with me at some point in the past you have heard me mention the benefits Diaphragmatic Breathing (DB) can have in increasing the effectiveness of the treatment. But training yourself to use DB can have much farther reaching benefits than just improving the results of a massage treatment.

DB (also referred to as belly breathing) is achieved by a slow steady inhale through the nose directing the breath into abdominal region thus engaging the diaphragm (a large dome shaped muscle separating the abdominal and thoracic cavities which attaches to the underside of the lower ribs in the thorax and the upper vertebra of the lumbar spine). When the diaphragm is in a relaxed state the top of the dome shape is located in the thorax, as the muscle is contracted the diaphragm is pulled down toward the abdominal cavity thus encouraging the expansion of the lower lobes of the lungs (these are the largest lobes in the lungs therefore they allow for the most efficient exchange of oxygen into the blood and waste products out of the blood). In addition to allowing for the most efficient exchange of oxygen and waste, as the diaphragm is being pulled down toward the abdominal cavity it massages the vagus nerve.

Effective DB can help to promote your bodies internal relaxation response. To help you understand just how important effective breathing can be, I’m going to explain how DB effects the vagus nerve thereby effecting the response of the parasympathetic nervous system.

Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve (or wondering nerve) is largely responsible for transmitting information from our viscera & organs to the brain. In addition it transmits information from the brain to the viscera. On it’s path from the viscera to the brain, the nerve passes through the diaphragm in the same region as the esophagus. As the diaphragm descends toward the abdominal cavity the vagus nerve is stimulated where it passes through the muscles. This stimulation encourages the release of acetylcholine which then engages the parasympathetic nervous system.

As well as innervating the viscera the vagus nerve supports the functioning of our parasympathetic nervous system (a part of our autonomic nervous system).

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

This of course leads you to ask, “What is the ANS?”, and what a great question this is!

The ANS is responsible for all of the body’s unconscious responses to both internal and external stimuli. It tells the lungs and heart how much oxygen is needed thus controlling inspiration and heart rate. It controls when the body stores energy vs using energy. It is responsible for regulating our hormones. Really the list of just how much the ANS is responsible for would be way too long to cover in one article.

The ANS is divided into two separate systems, the Sympathetic (SNS) and Parasympathetic (PNS) Nervous Systems. Although the functions of the SNS & PNS can seem to be in opposition to each other, they in fact work in conjunction with each other.

Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS)

The SNS controls the body’s flight or fight response to stimuli. It can also be viewed as your body’s accelerating response to negative stressors. It decreases blood flow to your viscera and skin and redirects it to you skeletal muscles and lungs thus increasing your bodies ability to respond quickly and forcefully when we are under stress. The SNS also dilates the areola in the lungs and increases the heart rate to allow greater levels of oxygen to be available in the blood stream.

In today’s high stress environment, many people end up falling into the habit of using this “stress response” breathing continually.

When the SNS activated the body releases adrenaline and cortisol as part of the fight-or-flight response.

Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS)

The PNS controls the body’s rest and digest response. In this way it can be viewed as your body’s decelerating response when negative stressors are removed/reduced. It increases the blood flow to the viscera allowing for the gut to more efficiently digest food and encourages the efficient metabolism allowing for effective energy storage. Through the vagus nerve it helps to lower heart rate and the rate of inspiration with the release of acetylcholine.

Acetylcholine creates a sense of relaxation in the body causing the heart rate to settle etc.

As you can see by simply drawing your attention to how you breath you can change the way your body is reacting in a given moment just by consciously directing the breath to certain areas of the thorax.

Becoming aware of your breath pattern and then modifying it takes practice but the benefits of DB make the effort worthwhile. Taking a few moments a day to be mindful of your breath is the first place to start. This could mean simply sitting in your car for a minute before leaving work and redirecting your breath or you could look into joining a meditation class near you.