When you are stiff from sitting all day, or stressed from the pressures of 21st century life, it’s really common for your diaphragm – the sheet of muscle that separates your lungs from your stomach contents, and that is the biggest of the breathing muscles – to tighten up too.

The diaphragm is the most efficient muscle for breathing. And when your diaphragm is tight, you don’t breathe as efficiently – so other muscles have to work harder to keep you alive!

But in the ideal world, these muscles should be helping your neck, shoulders, back and pelvis to move – rather than helping you to breathe – and when these muscles aren’t doing their normal job, your neck, shoulders, back and pelvis tend to get stiff and sore.

Restoring function, flexibility and strength to your diaphragm can offload those muscles, and help to relieve the symptoms in your neck, shoulders, back and pelvis! What are the benefits of diaphragmatic breathing?

Diaphragmatic breathing offers several benefits to your body including:
• Helping you relax.
• Improving muscle function during exercises and preventing strain.
• Increasing how much oxygen is in your blood.
• Making it easier for your body to release gas waste from your lungs.
• Reducing blood pressure.
• Reducing heart rate.
• Allows core muscles to work effectively
• Improving your Circulation
• Enables your body’s ability to tolerate exercise.

David does see people have trouble activating their diaphragms; because of issues around the neck, ribcage, pelvis and hips, treatment does help with his practical advice.

Best wishes, David