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    Diaphragmatic breathing

    腹式呼吸

    Technique
    Also called
    belly breathing, abdominal breathing, deep breathing, slow breathing

    What is diaphragmatic breathing?

    Diaphragmatic breathing relies mainly on the diaphragm, which contracts and moves down toward the abdomen to draw air in, then relaxes so air flows out passively.[1] As a relaxation exercise it is usually paired with slow breathing, under 10 breaths a minute.[2][3]

    How the diaphragm moves

    Schematic, not to scale

    One 10-second breath (6 a minute)

    Heart rate follows the breath (schematic)

    Schematic: swing size shows direction only, not data

    Measured: size of the heart-rate swing (RSA)

    Normal breathing 94 ms
    12 a minute · Longer exhale 137 ms
    12 a minute · Longer inhale 131 ms
    6 a minute · Longer exhale 275 ms
    6 a minute · Longer inhale 234 ms

    Data: Van Diest et al. (2014), Table 1, means for 23 students in a single session; RSA is the difference between the longest and shortest interbeat interval within a breath. The two “6 a minute” groups actually breathed about 7.3 and 7.7 times a minute.

    Select a part of the figure for details.
    The top row shows where the diaphragm sits during an inhale and an exhale (schematic, not to scale). The middle row compares 10-second breathing patterns (six breaths a minute) used in studies. At the bottom, a schematic of heart rate rising and falling with each breath sits beside the swing sizes measured in one experiment. Select a part for details. Select a part for details
    The top row shows where the diaphragm sits during an inhale and an exhale (schematic, not to scale). The middle row compares 10-second breathing patterns (six breaths a minute) used in studies. At the bottom, a schematic of heart rate rising and falling with each breath sits beside the swing sizes measured in one experiment. Select a part for details. Save as image (PNG)

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    Key points

    • At rest, both the diaphragm and the intercostal muscles work. A deep breath relies mainly on the diaphragm, a shallow chest (costal) breath on the intercostals; both count as normal breathing.[1]
    • Heart rate rises slightly with each inhale and falls with each exhale. Breathing under 10 times a minute enlarges this swing, raising heart rate variability, which researchers link to parasympathetic (vagal) activity.[2][3]
    • People felt more relaxed when exhaling longer than inhaling (say 3 seconds in, 7 out) than the reverse.[3] In another study, 4:6 and 5:5 ratios were both more relaxing than usual breathing.[2]
    • A meta-analysis of 12 randomized trials with 785 adults found lower self-reported stress after breathing exercises than in controls, a small-to-medium effect, with similar results for anxiety and depression.[4]

    An example

    Before a presentation, Ms. Wang’s heart is racing. She sits with one hand on her chest and one on her belly, breathes in slowly so the belly hand rises first, then breathes out even more slowly, for two minutes. Her heart seems to slow, and she can think through her opening.

    Misreadings and limits

    Calling chest breathing “wrong” overstates it; both patterns occur at rest.[1] Studies use such different rates and ratios that they are hard to pool.[2] Most trials are small with a moderate risk of bias, effects for people with health conditions are unclear, and breathing exercises do not replace treatment.[4]

    Sources

    1. 1 Betts, J. G., Young, K. A., Wise, J. A., Johnson, E., Poe, B., Kruse, D. H., Korol, O., Johnson, J. E., Womble, M., & DeSaix, P. (2022). 22.3 The process of breathing. Anatomy and Physiology 2e. OpenStax. View source
    2. 2 Zaccaro, A., Piarulli, A., Laurino, M., Garbella, E., Menicucci, D., Neri, B., & Gemignani, A. (2018). How breath-control can change your life: A systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, Article 353. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00353
    3. 3 Van Diest, I., Verstappen, K., Aubert, A. E., Widjaja, D., Vansteenwegen, D., & Vlemincx, E. (2014). Inhalation/exhalation ratio modulates the effect of slow breathing on heart rate variability and relaxation. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 39(3–4), 171–180. doi:10.1007/s10484-014-9253-x
    4. 4 Fincham, G. W., Strauss, C., Montero-Marin, J., & Cavanagh, K. (2023). Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials. Scientific Reports, 13, Article 432. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-27247-y

    Last checked against sources: October 27, 2026