A chest breather takes shorter, faster breaths by drawing breath into the lungs through the chest area. Belly breathers, on the other hand, use their diaphragm muscles to draw in breath by expanding through the abdomen. The worksheet notes that when we are in a balanced state, the natural breath engages the diaphragm, and the belly rises and falls with ease, which can help bring feelings of ease and relaxation. Breathing only into the chest may go along with the body’s ‘fight or flight’ mode and feelings of stress.
If you have not tried belly breathing before, the PDF suggests practicing while resting on your back, which makes it easier to sense which part of the body is moving:
- Place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest.
- Take a few normal breaths and notice which hand moves more.
- Try deepening the breath by softening the belly, and see if most of the movement can be in your stomach rather than your chest. Explore this for about a minute.
- Let the breath return to its natural depth and pace, and notice the state of your mind and body.
Beginners might practice for one or two minutes at a time and lengthen sessions by a few minutes as it becomes comfortable. To build the habit, the worksheet asks when you might schedule it as a formal practice and where you could practice informally, such as on the bus, while walking, or before a big presentation.
