In this video, I am going to tell you exactly how to breathe from your diaphragm while singing.
I am going to tell you what it really means to breathe from your diaphragm and I’ll
show you an easy breathing exercise for singing that you can practice at home right now.
Stick around and I will be right back.
Hi!
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So, how do you breathe from the diaphragm?
Did you know that you actually use your diaphragm every time you take a breath in?
It does not matter if you are asleep or awake.
Your diaphragm is hard at work every time you inhale.
That is correct.
Your diaphragm is the primary muscle of inhalation because it is active during inhalation
and your diaphragm is passive, meaning not working, when you exhale, talk
or sing.
So, I always wonder why would anyone want to learn how to breathe from the diaphragm
when you already know how to do that?
In my opinion, the phrase “breathing from the diaphragm” became synonymous with “good
breathing” or “low breathing” or "deep breathing" when your diaphragm descends efficiently and you inhale
a sufficient amount of air with minimal effort.
I actually don’t like using this phrase because it does not tell you anything specific
about how to breathe or sing.
The more specific you can be, the better.
Now, let me show you what the diaphragm is doing when you inhale.
The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that divides the chest cavity from your abdominal
cavity.
You cannot really touch the diaphragm or feel it in any way because it exists inside your
ribcage and it does not have sensory receptors that would tell you exactly what your diaphragm
is doing.
But you can observe the effects of the moving diaphragm on other body structures, such as
your abdominal wall.
If you want to know more about your diaphragm, you can watch my other videos on this topic
right here.
When you inhale, your diaphragm contracts and moves down.
This causes an increased pressure in the abdominal cavity where inner organs such as your stomach,
intestines, liver, and other organs live.
As a result of the descending diaphragm, these organs are misplaced and push the abdominal
wall out.
That is how you know that your diaphragm is actually working.
When you exhale, your diaphragm relaxes and moves back up into its dome-shaped position.
This is a phase when your diaphragm is not under direct control because you cannot control
a relaxed muscle.
The only way to control the ascending diaphragm is to control other muscle groups that slow
down return of the diaphragm, and these are your abdominals, rib muscles and some other
muscles.
It’s actually a delicate balancing act between different muscle groups to create a steady
airflow through the vocal folds when singing or talking.
So, now let’s learn to “breathe from your diaphragm” efficiently.
Here is a simple breathing exercise that you can do right now.
Step 1 - Align your body well while standing up or sitting down.
Optimal body posture is essential for good and efficient breathing because if your body
is misaligned, the diaphragm cannot work efficiently.
It will have to work harder than necessary.
Put one hand on your abdomen, the other one on the lower ribcage.
Step 2 – Inhale.
As you inhale, feel how your abdomen and the sides of your body are expanding.
Make sure that your chest or your shoulders are not moving up and down.
That would mean that you are filling up only the upper portion of your lungs, which means
that your diaphragm is not working efficiently.
Do this slowly!
Step 3 - Now, exhale with a long “sh” and observe how your abdomen and sides of
your body are slowly moving in.
Don’t let them move in fast but instead, keep your body expanded for as long as you
can.
This means that your diaphragm is ascending slowly.
Repeat these 3 steps a few times.
Bonus tip Make sure that you exhale all of the air from
the lungs.
This will help you inhale even more efficiently and easily because your body simply wants
to draw air in.
It will also prevent you from hyperventilating and possibly fainting.
If you feel dizzy, just take a break from the exercise.
Sometimes, it is normal to feel dizzy when you breathe in a different way that you are
used to.
It means that you are doing it right!
If you have trouble doing this exercise, let me know in the comments below.
In the next video, I’ll be sharing more tips about breathing and singing, so don’t
forget to subscribe to this channel.
And check out my other videos right here below.
I will see you in my next video.
Happy breathing!