Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises

Everyone has heard the words, "take a deep breath." We hear them at the doctor's office when the doctor is listening to our lungs. We hear them in regards to calming down. We hear them in many exercise classes. Drawing a deep breath pulls air into the bottom of the lungs, filling all the air sacs. And in many practices, such as yoga and tai chi, it is believed to cleanse the body of stagnant air. There are many methods for breathing in deeply; some of them aid in mediation, while others aid in healing. Whatever the purpose, exercising (strengthening) the diaphragm is key to any deep breathing exercises. The diaphragm is the large muscle at the base of the lungs. A weak diaphragm means the lungs will not function at their optimum.
When practicing any breathing technique, practice for only a few minutes at first. If you become light-headed, stop immediately. If you get light-headed, a hard, loud exhale, shoving out all the air fast, will often help.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Lie on your back with your knees raised or supported by a pillow. If you like, you may also rest your head on a pillow. Be comfortable and relaxed. Place a hand just below your rib cage (over the stomach) and rest the other on your upper chest.
Breath in through your nose, expanding the diaphragm. You should feel this expansion below your ribs; your lower hand should rise up as the lungs fill, while the other hand should move only slightly or not at all. If you like, you can momentarily hold your breath.
As you exhale through your mouth, contract your stomach muscles. Again, the lower hand should move as you breath out while the upper hand remains as still as possible.
When first developing your diaphragm, you may find lying on your back easiest. However, diaphragmatic breathing can also be practiced while sitting. Simply sit comfortably with your knees bent and your upper body relaxed. As before, place your hands on your chest so you can feel if you are moving the proper muscle.
Diaphragmatic breathing is also called "normal breathing" or "abdominal breathing." In martial arts, it is sometimes referred to as "Buddhist breathing."

Meditative Breathing

Sit with your back straight, either cross-legged on the floor or in a straight-backed chair. If sitting in a chair, be sure your knees are at a 90-degree angle. Rest your hands lightly on your thighs.
Breathe in through the nose, filling the lungs slowly and deeply. Mentally draw the air downward through the diaphragm and below, all the way to the point directly between your legs. This is the downward path of air.
Still drawing in air, begin the upward path. Mentally pull the air upward along your spine, up the neck, over the top of your head and finally out through the mouth.
You can do this exercise with your eyes open or closed. As each breath cycles, you should feel more and more cleansed of "bad chi," as the Chinese call it, or negative energy. As with any breathing exercise, stop if you become light-headed.

Reverse Breathing

Most people expand their diaphragm while breathing in and contract while breathing out. Reverse breathing, also called Taoist (and pre-birth) breathing, reverses the process.
While breathing in, contract the diaphragm. Then exhale through the nose, expanding the diaphragm. Breath in slowly and deeply. Slow contractions and expansions will better exercise the diaphragm muscle. Note: Some practice this technique with meditation and may breathe in through the mouth. Martial arts practitioners generally breathe in through the nose.
Reverse breathing is used in many martial arts and yoga. The technique is believed to activate healing chi (life energy).

Yin & Yang Breathing

A tai chi practitioner breathes in and out in sync with the yin and yang aspect of each movement. In tai chi, every movement has a martial arts application. Some use normal diaphragmatic breathing while others prefer reverse breathing. Either way, the movements have a preparation and execution--an in and an out. The preparation is where the practitioner gathers energy. This drawing in, breathing in phase corresponds to the yin. Then in executing the move, yang energy is released, along with the breath.
This same technique can be applied to other forms of slow exercise and movement, such as yoga. As you begin a posture, draw in a deep breath. While finishing the posture, let out the breath.
However you choose to move while breathing in and out deeply (and using the diaphragm), there is no point at which you hold the breath. For yin and yang breathing, the breath must flow inward and then immediately outward. Yin and yang is a flowing concept in which the very symbol illustrates how yin continually flows to become yang and yang, in turn, swells then flows back into yin.
Note: In practicing tai chi, the tongue always touches the roof of the mouth, so all breathing is done through the nose, both in and out.

Breathing Through the Palms

In tai chi, the inwardly drawn breath mentally circulates through the body. In the dantien (an area near the diaphragm), energy originates. This energy is circulated through the body along with the air you breathe. This "breath" more than fills the lungs and exhales. Energy must fill every limb, flowing in and out like breath.
Moreover, energy is said to be breathed into the body via many points--important ones being in those places yoga references as chakra points and also in the palms and bottoms of the feet.
While breathing in deeply, focus on the palms and feet and draw in energy so that energy and air all meet together at the dantien/diaphragm area. Then in breathing out, circulate all this energy through the body and then back out. Eventually, you will draw in energy via all the points.