Integrating Breathing with Proper Abdominal Movements
Start integrating proper breathing with the right abdominal movements by blowing all they air out of your lungs by pulling your stomach in as far as it will go (Position 2).
Hold this position for a second, then release your abdominal wall down towards the floor (Move to Position 1) . As your stomach wall falls down toward the floor breathe in slowly through your nose. Think about aiming your breath low into your stomach, filling your belly with air like a balloon. Fill your lower lungs to capacity by expanding your abdomen fully. As you do so, try not to let your chest and shoulders rise up towards your head, filling your upper lungs with air. When your your belly is as expanded as you can make it, meaning your lower lungs are full -(Position 1), pause for a second, then start to exhale by drawing your belly button up and in back towards Position 2, actively pushing air out of your lungs using your stomach muscles like a bellows.
Through all of this keep looking in the mirror, staying conscious of not moving your back or shoulders in any way. Be especially aware of any tendency to contract your shoulders and neck muscles to draw breath into your chest. The idea here is to breathe using the diaphragm alone. Your chest should never rise up during this exercise
Once you’re comfortable breathing like this on all fours, where gravity is assisting you in dropping your belly down, start practicing belly breathing standing up by alternately expanding and contracting your abdominal wall to draw air in and then blow air out in the exact same fashion. For a few days, practice in front of a mirror, continuing to pay attention to your lower back and hold it still. After this, start trying to breathe into your diaphragm all of the time, staying especially consicious of breathing diaphragmatically while seated. In order to breathe with your diaphragm while seated, you’ll have to sit up straight, which will have the side benefit of helping you begin to develop better posture. You goal is to get to the point where you start breathing into your diaphragm as a matter of habit without thinking about it.
A Habit of Good Breathing
The way that movements become habitual is through the establishment of motor programs for those movements in our brains. Research indicates that it take about 500 repetitions to write a new movement program, but about 5,000 repetitions to rewrite one that is already established. Since most of us have been chest breathing for a good part of our lives, it takes a lot of repetitions to completely change our breathing patterns to the point where diaphragmatic breathing becomes instinctive. But if you try to remember to breathe diaphragmatically throughout the day, 5,000 reps will pass in no time, and proper breathing will become unconscious and habitual.
When you’re first getting started, practice diaphragmatic breathing on your hands and knees at least five to ten minutes, three times per week. You can do this breathing exercise as a part of regular workouts, or anytime throughout the day. Feel free to practice breathing even more frequently if you like. The more you practice, the faster you'll develop the habit of proper breathing. You really can't overdo breating exercises.
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