The greatest revelation I’ve had about breathwork is that it’s often overhyped. In today’s wellness world, many practitioners—after some initial success—believe they’ve unlocked all the secrets of the breath. It’s a common trap. The Dunning-Kruger effect teaches us that early confidence often masks a deeper ignorance. The more we learn, the more we realize how much we don’t know. That’s why humility is essential on this path.
Here’s the simple truth: breath is life. Breath animates us. It’s the exchange of gases through the lungs and bloodstream that keeps us alive. You don’t need a medical degree to understand the most important principle of breathwork: don’t hold your breath unconsciously.
Forget mystical secrets or elite techniques. The goal is straightforward—breathe freely, fully, and consciously. That’s it. Unless you’re underwater or choking, your task is to keep breath flowing without resistance.
Chronic breath-holding is a stress response. It leads to shallow, erratic patterns—hyperventilation, hypoventilation—and signals the nervous system to ramp up heart rate and tension. In this state, relaxation is impossible. Anxiety takes over. Thoughts race. Muscles tighten. We become locked in the fight-or-flight loop.
Over time, that loop becomes our baseline.
The next breakthrough is understanding the central role of the diaphragm. This dome-shaped muscle, located just below the lungs, is often tight and constricted—especially in modern, anxious, upright humans. The phrase “gut feeling” often describes the discomfort of a clenched diaphragm.
When the diaphragm is tight, breathing becomes shallow and strained. This increases stress, which tightens the diaphragm further—a vicious cycle. Breaking it requires conscious, repeated efforts to relax this muscle.
This Is Where True Breathwork Begins
Through consistent practice, we can retrain the body to breathe with ease. One of the most effective tools I’ve found is visualization. On the inhale, I imagine the diaphragm moving in five directions: downward as the lungs expand, outward to the right and left, and forward and backward away from the core. This creates a sense of spaciousness and full-body engagement with each breath.
On the exhale, I visualize the diaphragm rising upward and gently contracting inward—left to right, and front to back—as the air leaves the lungs. This inward movement supports a smooth release of tension and helps restore a natural, calming rhythm.
Although we can’t directly feel the diaphragm, we can sense its influence in the motion of the belly, ribs, and back. When tension is present—especially in the core—it often disrupts this natural flow. Sometimes that tension is subtle, just a vague sense that something isn’t right in our environment or mind. That tightness becomes a signal, traveling up the vagus nerve and triggering the nervous system to react. The switch is thrown, and we’re pulled back into the fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous system.
This is the real beginning of breathwork: learning to undo the unconscious patterns that restrict us, to soften, to return to a natural, instinctive flow—calm, steady, and whole.
There are several effective and evidence-backed ways to release tension in the diaphragm, most of which revolve around breath awareness, movement, and nervous system regulation. The most accessible method is diaphragmatic breathing—slow, deep breathing that expands the belly and lower ribs. This technique has been shown to reduce stress, lower cortisol, and retrain the body to breathe efficiently. Inhale gently through the nose for five to seven seconds, allowing the belly to rise, and exhale slowly to let it fall. Over time, this helps restore the diaphragm’s natural rhythm and calms the sympathetic nervous system.
Other supportive techniques include gentle yoga postures that open the chest and torso, vocalization practices like humming or chanting to stimulate the vagus nerve, and manual therapy from trained professionals who work directly on the diaphragm and surrounding muscles. Some people benefit from trauma-informed breathwork or somatic practices that focus on safety and sensing subtle tension in the core. All of these methods aim to break unconscious patterns of breath-holding and create a relaxed, open, and natural breathing pattern—one that supports clarity, calm, and emotional balance.
Other breathing techniques, such as short, sharp breaths through the nose or mouth, can also be useful—especially for activating or clearing the system. The key is exploration. Everyone's body is different, and factors like posture, diet, trauma history, and nervous system regulation all influence which methods are most effective. There’s no single right way—only what works best for your current state.
If you don’t immediately feel tension in your diaphragm, you might notice it elsewhere—in your shoulders, jaw, or even your hands. Start where the tension speaks loudest. As these areas release, the breath often deepens naturally. Personally, I’ve found that simply bringing my awareness to the diaphragm—sometimes even speaking to it mentally—helps soften it over time. With patience, visualization, and steady focus, the diaphragm begins to release. When that happens, I often feel a ripple effect: my heart rate slows, my muscles loosen, and a quiet calm spreads through my body.
Still, many factors can interfere with our ability to relax fully. Caffeine, sugar, stimulants, and nicotine all agitate the nervous system. So do high stress, emotional repression, and chaotic environments. Becoming aware of these influences helps us assess our progress honestly and reminds us that relaxation is not just a breath technique—it’s a lifestyle.
Breathwork isn’t just a spiritual performance. It’s a return to what is most natural and necessary. It’s the foundation of mental clarity, emotional resilience, and physical health.
Don’t overcomplicate it.
Just breathe.
Relax Your Diaphragm, Relax Your Life
A chronically tight diaphragm is more than just a muscular issue—it’s a signal that something deeper is off in the nervous system. When the diaphragm is restricted, its range of motion becomes limited. This prevents the body from taking in deep, efficient breaths and forces other muscles—like those in the shoulders, neck, and chest—to compensate. The result is shallow, upper-chest breathing, which delivers less oxygen and keeps the body in a state of mild distress.
→ Tight diaphragm → shallow, strained breathing.
This pattern of shallow breathing is not just inefficient—it actually sends a stress signal to the brain. The nervous system interprets short, irregular breaths as an indication that something is wrong. In response, the sympathetic nervous system—the fight-or-flight mechanism—activates. Heart rate increases. Alertness sharpens. Muscles tense. Anxiety tightens its grip.
→ Shallow breathing → increased stress.
Now the cycle deepens. Stress hormones like cortisol flood the system, increasing baseline muscle tone throughout the body—including in the diaphragm. The core begins to “guard” itself, subtly bracing against perceived danger. This protective tension reinforces the very problem we’re trying to escape, locking us into the same shallow, reactive breath pattern.
→ Stress → further diaphragmatic tension.
To break the cycle, we have to make conscious, repeated efforts to relax the diaphragm. This isn’t a one-time fix—it’s a practice. Studies in breathwork, biofeedback, and somatic therapy show that diaphragmatic breathing has a powerful effect on the autonomic nervous system. It shifts us out of sympathetic dominance and into parasympathetic restoration—the rest-and-digest state where healing can begin.
→ Breaking the cycle requires conscious, repeated relaxation.
But breathwork alone isn't enough. Yes, it can calm anxiety in the moment—it can be an immediate, grounding tool. But real, lasting change demands more: it calls for psychological self-inquiry, character development, addiction recovery, emotional processing, and a commitment to doing the right thing, again and again. Breathwork is the doorway—but not the entire house.
The diaphragm is our emotional center as much as it is a physical one. To truly relax it is to begin unraveling the inner knots that keep us stuck in cycles of stress, avoidance, and reactivity. As we soften this essential muscle, we begin to soften everything—our breath, our body, our thoughts, and eventually, our way of being.