How to Reclaim Your Breath
When Your Upper Chest Does All the Work: Understanding Dysfunctional Breathing Patterns
Have you ever noticed your breath feels shallow, tight, or like it’s only happening up in your chest? You’re not alone. Many people unknowingly develop dysfunctional breathing patterns, where the accessory breathing muscles (like your neck and shoulder muscles) take over — while your diaphragm, the real star of the show, goes a bit quiet.
This kind of breathing might feel "normal" — especially if it's been happening for years — but it's actually a sign that your body is compensating. Over time, these compensation patterns can impact your posture, energy, digestion, lymphatic flow, emotional regulation, and even your strength and stability in movement. Shallow, chest-dominant breathing is like using the emergency brake to drive uphill — it’ll get the job done for a while, but it’s not efficient, and it causes wear and tear you might not even realise is related.
The good news? With simple awareness and a few targeted practices, you can retrain your breath to support your body in the way it was designed to — and the ripple effect is often profound.
What Is the Diaphragm — and Why Is It So Important?
The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that sits beneath your lungs and above your abdominal cavity. Every time you take a breath in, the diaphragm should contract and move downward, creating space for the lungs to fill. On exhale, it relaxes and moves up, helping push the air out.
But the diaphragm isn’t just about breathing. It plays a vital role in:
Core and spinal stability— it works in partnership with your pelvic floor, transverse abdominis, and deep spinal muscles (your inner core team).
Digestive motility — gentle diaphragmatic compression supports peristalsis and gut health.
Circulation and lymphatic flow— the downward pressure of the diaphragm helps move lymph and venous blood upward.
Nervous system regulation— slow, diaphragmatic breathing directly stimulates the vagus nerve, shifting the body out of fight-or-flight.
When the diaphragm isn’t moving well — whether from stress, poor posture, injury, or learned patterns — it doesn’t just affect how you breathe. It changes how your whole system functions. You may feel tired, wired, flat, foggy, or disconnected from your core — all stemming from a breath that's no longer working for you.
When the Accessory Muscles Take Over
Your body is incredibly adaptive. When the diaphragm stops engaging well, the body recruits backup — known as the accessory breathing muscles. These include:
Scalenes (side of the neck)
Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) (front and side of the neck)
Upper trapezius
Intercostals (between the ribs)
Pectoralis minor (deep in the chest wall)
These muscles are only meant to assist during times of high demand — like intense exercise, high-stress situations, or when breathing is mechanically restricted (like in asthma or during illness). But many people start using them *all the time.
Why does this happen?
Chronic stress keeps us in shallow, fast, upper-chest breathing patterns.
Poor posture, especially from prolonged sitting or tech use, restricts the ribs and diaphragm.
Abdominal tension, surgery, or pain can make the body avoid engaging the diaphragm.
Athletic overtraining (especially pushing-based exercises like chest presses) may reinforce breath-holding and shoulder-dominant mechanics.
Over time, the result is a body that breathes inefficiently — even at rest. This can leave you feeling fatigued, foggy, anxious, or tense. It can contribute to neck and shoulder pain, headaches, shallow sleep, and even digestive issues. And because breath is foundational to movement, it can impact performance in the gym and posture throughout the day.
Common Causes of Dysfunctional Breathing:
If you’re noticing shallow breathing, tension in your upper chest or neck, or difficulty getting a full breath in — you may be experiencing a dysfunctional pattern. Some common contributors include:
Stress & anxiety: These activate your sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight), often resulting in rapid, shallow breathing from the chest and shoulders.
Mouth breathing:Encourages chest-dominant breath and overuse of accessory muscles.
Slouched posture Especially “tech neck” or forward-head posture, which restricts rib and diaphragm mobility.
Injury, pain, or surgery: Pain around the ribs, chest, or abdomen can cause the body to “guard” by avoiding deep belly breathing.
Exercise patterns: Repetitive upper body pushing (e.g., chest press, overhead press) can tighten the anterior chain, restricting rib expansion and reinforcing breath-holding.
These patterns are common — especially in high-achievers, new parents, desk workers, athletes, and anyone moving through grief or stress. The body does what it needs to cope, but over time, we can help it relearn a better way.
5 Exercises to Reconnect With Your Diaphragm
Here are five simple but powerful exercises I recommend to my clients to improve breath awareness and restore healthy diaphragmatic function.
1. Supine Diaphragmatic Breathing (Belly Breathing)
What it does: Teaches your body to engage the diaphragm first and soften upper chest effort.
How to:
Lie on your back with knees bent, one hand on your chest, one on your belly.
Inhale through your nose, slowly expanding your belly and lower ribs (the hand on your belly should rise first).
Exhale through your nose or mouth, letting the belly soften.
Repeat for 5 minutes, 2–3x a day.
2. 90-90 Breathing with Wall Support
What it does: Adds core activation and pelvic floor support while encouraging posterior diaphragm recruitment.
How to:
Lie on your back with feet on a wall, hips and knees at 90°.
Flatten your low back gently into the floor.
Place hands on your lower ribs.
Inhale into the back and sides of your ribcage, exhale fully and pause before the next breath.
3. Seated “No-Accessory” Breathing
What it does: Brings awareness to and quiets overactive neck and shoulder muscles.
How to:
Sit upright. Lightly place fingers on your scalenes (sides of the neck).
Inhale slowly through your nose. Try to keep your fingers still.
Focus on belly and rib movement only.
If your neck muscles jump or tighten, reset and try smaller, slower breaths.
4. Prone Crocodile Breathing
What it does:*Encourages 360° breath into the back body and lower ribs.
How to:
Lie face down, forehead on your hands or a small cushion.
Inhale into your belly and lower ribs, feeling your stomach and sides push into the floor.
Exhale fully and feel the ribs draw in.
Stay for 3–5 minutes, breathing slowly.
5. “Box Breathing” for Nervous System Reset
What it does:*Engages the parasympathetic nervous system, calming breath and body.
How to:
Inhale for 4 counts
Hold for 4 counts
Exhale for 4 counts
Hold for 4 counts
Repeat for 1–2 minutes, ideally at the end of your day or after exercise.
Bonus: Side-Lying Pilates Ball Diaphragm Release
What it does: Encourages deep diaphragmatic expansion by gently stretching and releasing tight areas around the lower ribs and intercostal muscles.
How to:
Lie comfortably on your side on a firm surface (like a mat or carpeted floor).
Place a small Pilates ball (about 20–25cm diameter) just underneath your lower ribs, between your ribs and your hip. Adjust until you find a spot that feels like a gentle stretch or release point.
Rest your arm and head comfortably — use a pillow if needed.
Breathe slowly and deeply through your nose, focusing on expanding the ribs around the ball. Let the ball gently push the ribs outward with each inhale.
Exhale fully and relax into the ball, allowing the diaphragm to release tension.
Stay here for 3–5 minutes on each side, breathing mindfully.
You can gently rock forward or backward a little if it feels good, helping to mobilize the rib cage further.
Benefits:
Helps loosen tight intercostal muscles and fascia
Improves rib cage mobility
Supports better diaphragmatic movement and breathing pattern reset
Relieves tension in the thoracic area often caused by poor posture or stress
Tips for Lasting Change
Start with just 5 minutes a day
Pair breathing with stretching or foam rolling
Train it like a muscle — consistency wins
Be patient. Your breath has habits just like your posture
If you’ve been dealing with neck pain, tight shoulders, or a feeling of tension that doesn’t seem to shift, your breathing pattern may be playing a bigger role than you think. These small daily resets can make a huge difference to your energy, stability, and sense of calm.
Want help assessing your breathing pattern or building a tailored recovery plan? Feel free to get in touch or book a session.
With warmth,
Pauline
Breathwork Supporter x
