Taoist Breathing: The Diaphragm Is the Engine
By Paul Cavel
Breathing is one of the most direct and simple ways to gain access to your internal landscape, and encourage a calm, relaxed state in body and mind. The ability to breathe well can dramatically affect your health and well-being—not just because you do it all day, but also because of the way in which breathing affects the vital organs. This connection is powered by and starts with the movement of the diaphragm.
What Is the Diaphragm?
The diaphragm is a thin sheet of skeletal muscle at the bottom of the chest (thoracic cavity). It connects to the spine and inside, lower section of the rib cage, which separates the torso into two parts. Above the diaphragm sits the lungs and the heart. Below it, in the abdomen, is where the bulk of the organs are housed, including the liver, kidneys, stomach and spleen.
Contrary to popular belief, it is the diaphragm that is responsible for breathing—not the lungs. The lungs are actually completely passive and only respond to the action of the diaphragm descending to cause air to enter into the lungs, and rising to expel air from them.
When you increase the motion of the diaphragm, you increase the quantity of air you inhale, which supplies more oxygen to your body. As you exhale, you increase the release of carbon dioxide from your body. The pressure transferred from the increase in motion also creates a firm massage of the internal organs within the abdomen, as well as the heart.
How to Activate Your Diaphragm
To activate your diaphragm, first you must learn how to direct the air into the bottom of your lungs, while preventing your chest from rising and/or expanding forwards. Start by either standing or sitting with proper body alignments, and place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Then, with a focused intent, guide the air entering your body to descend into the bottom of your lungs. Try to remain calm and keep your chest still in space. Do not force the process, instead cultivate your skill set slowly and progressively.
You can lie down on a bed or the floor, especially if you cannot sit or stand with proper alignments for more than a few minutes. Do not lie down if you continually find yourself falling asleep though, as you want to maintain a relaxed yet focused intent throughout your practice. Be sure to place a thin pillow under your head. Your feet should be flat on the bed or floor with your knees up in the air, and your legs should feel relaxed. This position will give you a straight spine and the best chance of engaging your diaphragm.
Practise for at least 3-5 minutes, longer if you like. Keep your intent on reducing or eliminating any movement in your chest, and increasing the movement of your abdomen.
Increase the Movement and Strength of the Diaphragm
Find the front of your diaphragm by placing your fingers on the front of your rib cage and follow your ribs downward until you reach the bottom of the rib cage. Do this exercise with your hands simultaneously on both sides of your body. Once you find the bottom of your ribs, go a little bit lower until your fingertips feel a springy soft tissue (muscle not bone).
Place your fingertips on the soft tissue and gently yet firmly press your fingers into your body about half an inch to one inch (1 cm to 3 cm). If you feel any sensation of pain whatsoever, then do less. Discomfort is okay and even expected, but always mind the Rule of Thirds and keep within your 70-percent range of ability.
Next breathe in slowly and deeply, so that your fingers get pushed out of your body progressively more in coordination with your inhale. As you breathe out, press your fingertips back in again. There is no need to tense your belly muscles. In fact, doing so will inhibit the relaxation response and diminish your ability to gain full access to your diaphragm. Your fingers are expelled by the diaphragm descending and expanding while the abdominal muscles remain relaxed and, in doing so, gently but firmly pressurise your lower organs. The continuous, smooth and regular pressurisation-relaxation cycle within the organs expels tension, increases blood flow and releases the nerves.
Breathing Practice Guidelines
This diaphragm breathing exercise can be done a few times each day for a week or so to increase the movement and strength of the diaphragm.
Return to your standing, sitting or lying-down practice while keeping your chest still in space and continue breathing into your belly. As your diaphragm increases in mobility and strength, your breathing capacity and organ massage will also increase.
Adhere to the Rule of Thirds and make sure you do not strain or force your breathing, body and/or nerves at any time. You can soften the inhale-exhale by adding the circular changeovers to release the nerves.
With practice, you can loosen your diaphragm, sink your breathing deeper into your body and massage your organs. Make sure that the downward pressure from your in-breath goes no lower than a few centimetres (an inch or two at the most) below your navel, as it is not good to create pressure below the lower tantien.
Initially, as the air descends to the bottom of the lungs and the chest remains still in space, the diaphragm begins to massage the organs directly connected or in close proximity to it. With time and practice, the motion of the diaphragm moves and massages everything in the torso from the lower tantien to the top of the lungs, including the five major organs in Chinese medicine: the kidneys, liver, lungs, heart and spleen.
When you achieve this level of practice, you can gain a real sense of internal freedom and space. The benefits are numerous because whatever part or parts of your insides are stuck, stagnant or tight are slowly softened and released by the diaphragm’s continual motion. However, it doesn’t stop there. With the correct training progression and diligent practice, it is possible to link the motion of the diaphragm to the entirety of your internal anatomy—from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet. With regular practice, you can improve all the internal systems and functions of your body. After all, there is a reason why just about every ancient tradition on the planet includes breathing practices.
Breathe to Access Yin Energy
Initially you can use circular breathing to release and relax your nerves, so that your whole system calms down and becomes smooth. Then you can use breathing to initiate the pulse (opening-and-closing neigong). Learning how to pulse the joints, cavities, fluids and energetic centres of your body is traditionally brought into play within Heaven and Earth Qigong (and absolutely requires live training with a competent teacher). But, once learned, both circular breathing and opening-and-closing techniques can be activated in a real, soft and yin way by simply making the link with your mind between:
The in-breath and the open.
The out-breath and the close.
As you breathe, maintain all the physical considerations—body alignments, chest remaining still in space, and moving the belly and diaphragm—and then begin activating the circular changeovers from the in- to out-breath and out- to in-breath. Spend some time stabilising circular breathing and, once continuous, the pulse will naturally reveal itself and you can enhance it with your mind’s intent.
The combination of breathing and pulsing creates an abundance of yin energy that floods the channels of the body, healing and nourishing your whole system. But one specific advantaged gained by this practice is the amount of internal space that it yields. The expansion of internal space allows the mind to detach from the stresses and worries that have built up over time, enabling you to truly let go, sink and root your qi.
An Anytime Stress Release and Energy Boost
Stress diminishes your energy. During your day, you can look for small gaps to re-establish deep breathing in order to relax, let go and ground. In so doing, you can diminish some of the stress before it becomes overwhelming and too big to handle. This allows you to maintain a calm, focused mind throughout your day. Regular breathing practice preserves and increases energy levels too. This is why breathing well can become one of your most important tools for building health, vitality and longevity.
I recommend several breathing practices per day during these difficult times.
