On one of my very first chiropractic appointments, my chiro asked me to take some deep belly breaths as he focused on some pretty gnarly areas that needed to be worked on. I confidently responded with an, “Oh yeah, so like yoga breathing?” (In all honesty, I don’t even know what yoga breathing is — it just sounded like belly breathing was the same thing.)

I took a big inhale from my chest and proudly showed my chiropractor that I could totally follow instructions. Psh, deep breath. Simple. “Ummm no, from your belly,” he replied. Wait what? Breathe from my belly? Why? How? Is that even possible?

He then patiently demonstrated to me the proper way to engage in belly breathing. He also explained to me the importance of belly breathing. I was blown away. I had been breathing wrong my entire life.

Whether you call it abdominal breathing, belly breathing, or stomach breathing, belly breathing is the best way to breathe. Here’s why belly breathing is ideal and some tips on how to try abdominal breathing for yourself.

Why you should engage in belly breathing

According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), “Proper breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, allows the stomach to expand while keeping the chest relatively stable during slow inhalation through the nose.” On the other hand, “Chest breathing does the opposite and does not encourage efficient oxygen exchange.”

My chiropractor, Michael Risher of The Rehab Lab, echoes those sentiments. “Belly breathing helps stabilize your low back during exercise,” he explains. “It also helps take you out of the fight or flight mode (sympathetic nervous system) and puts you into rest and digest mode (parasympathetic nervous system). Basically, it changes your stress levels.”

Belly breathing is part of core strength, so it really helps strengthen your diaphragm and sometimes even your pelvic floor, adds Risher.

How to engage in belly breathing

When you normally take a deep breath, you probably breathe from your chest, causing your chest to rise and fall with each inhale and exhale. But when it comes to abdominal breathing or belly breathing, the inhale comes from deep within your stomach. 

Essentially, on the inhale, the stomach protrudes outward (almost like you when you’re feeling bloated). Then, on the exhale, the stomach becomes flat again. Throughout this entire time, the chest remains relatively stable and unbothered. No upward or downward motions with each inhale and exhale. Wild, right? It sounds simple, but it’s way easier said than done — especially if you’re unaccustomed to breathing this way.

When I had to give stomach breathing a try after the request of my chiropractor, I literally had to focus so hard on the inhale and exhale. It was like my brain knew what to do but my body was like, “I’m sorry, what now? I can’t compute this request.” Eventually, my body caught on and got on board with belly breathing — but boy, did I have to practice before my second appointment.

Tips for abdominal breathing or stomach breathing

I still find myself consciously switching from chest to belly breathing as abdominal breathing doesn’t come naturally to me just yet. I know like with anything new, it’ll take practice. Hey, I’ve been breathing straight from my chest for my entire life, cut me some slack. Just like with training muscles at the gym, my body has to get used to this new way of stomach breathing.

Risher instructs you to put one hand on your chest and one on your belly. As you breathe, try to get the hand on your belly to move and your chest hand to stay still.

If you’re new to belly breathing, I highly encourage you to practice. I like to practice when I’m checking emails and working at my computer. I’m even engaging in abdominal breathing right now as I write this article. I also like to practice stomach breathing when I’m out walking along the lakefront path.

A word of warning though, you may not want to practice belly breathing right after a meal. It’s not the best idea to engage in abdominal breathing or stomach breathing when your stomach is full of food from lunch!

Breathe better with belly breathing

Like me, you may have been breathing wrong your entire life — and that’s okay. We were still breathing, and we’re still alive, are we not? We may have just not been breathing in the most efficient way possible.

Unlike chest breathing, abdominal breathing allows for efficient oxygen exchange as well as core engagement. With anything new, stomach breathing takes patience, practice, and time — so practice and one day you’ll take a big deep breath and realize you’re actually belly breathing. (How cool will that be?!) Now inhale…and exhale…