Did you know that breathing in a relaxed, deep way, also called diaphragmatic breathing, is an effective tool for reducing back, neck and shoulder pain? This may sound implausible, but there is a simple reason why the way you breathe affects how your body feels. As a muscle, your diaphragm is connected to other large muscles in your torso. When it functions properly, and you breathe deeply and easily, other muscles in your torso also function well. You feel this as a sense of physical ease. When your diaphragm fails to function properly, and you breathe in a restricted way, other muscles in your torso tighten up and you feel stiffness or pain. You can therefore reduce pain and tension by learning to breathe well, or diaphragmatically. Here is how to begin doing that.

How Do You Breathe?

Start by noticing what your breathing habits are, and working to improve them.

First, count your breaths for a full minute and make a note of how many breaths you breathe normally in a minute. Most people breathe somewhere between 11 and 30 breaths a minute. In fully relaxed breathing, however, you breathe between 4 and 10 breaths a minute. If you do not breathe this slowly, you can change your breathing patterns in a way that will dramatically improve how you feel.

Second, notice if you breathe into your chest or into your belly. Put one hand on your chest and one hand over your belly. Breathe normally. Does your chest rise with the in breath and fall with the out breath? Does your belly rise with the in breath and fall with the out breath? Does either your chest or your belly rise more? If you are a chest breather, which is a form of restricted breathing, the hand over your chest will move more than the hand over your belly as you breathe in. If you are a belly breather, which is closer to relaxed, diaphragmatic breathing, the hand over your belly will move more as you breathe in. Work on becoming a belly breather.

Third, do you ever notice yourself holding your breath? When they start paying attention, most people find that they frequently hold their breath without being aware of it. This is a sign of habitual tension and stress, and can become very damaging. By letting go of this habit through diaphragmatic breathing you can greatly reduce pain.

Please see Part II of this article for further specific directives on how to learn diaphragmatic breathing.

© 2007 Ingrid Bacci PhD. All rights Reserved

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