Freeing the Diaphragm

Maddie
Dec 6, 2025
4 min read

Donna Eden introduced me to this exercise and I've used it for years for my lung function, especially in the past few years when my lungs need that extra support ....

BUT,

did you know that recent research suggests it's also a valuable contributor to our ability to balance and 'stay upright', which is particularly relevant to the Crone Zone this month as we are focussing on balance.

Try it and objectively evaluate how you feel. If it's the first time I suggest you do it sitting down as it can greatly influence your breath and oxygen intake.

The diaphragm is one of the most important—and most overlooked—muscles in the body.

Shaped like a domed, horizontal wall, it sits beneath the lungs and acts like a powerful bellows, drawing oxygen in and helping move stale air out. Every breath you take depends on this remarkable sheet of muscle.

Like all muscles, however, the diaphragm can become tight, restricted, or “out of rhythm.”

When it’s not moving freely, your body loses some of its most essential flow: oxygen, lymph, subtle energies, and even emotional movement.

A tense diaphragm can affect everything from your mental clarity to digestion to your sense of inner calm and even physical balance.

When you are under stress, and especially if you suffer a shock or trauma, your diaphragm is one of the first structures to respond.

It may tighten, lock, or become rigid—reducing your breath capacity and sending ripples of tension through muscles and organs.

If it stays that way, you may experience symptoms such as:

Shallow or short breathing
dominant mouth breathing
Headaches or facial tension
Brain fog or memory issues
A sense of emotional “freeze” or overwhelm
Muscle spasms throughout the body
Digestive discomfort, including acid reflux
A feeling of being disconnected, ungrounded, or unable to “let go”

In Energy Medicine (EEM) and many traditional healing systems, the diaphragm is considered a central transmitter of life force.

Its gentle waving motion pumps subtle energy up and down the body, helping to harmonize the chakras, meridians, and radiant circuits.

When the diaphragm softens and moves freely, everything in the body communicates better.

A fluid, open diaphragm encourages:

Better oxygenation to the brain, organs, and limbs
Clearer thinking
Emotional resilience
A more grounded sense of inner stability
Enhanced vitality and energetic circulation

This technique—Freeing the Diaphragm—helps restore the diaphragm’s natural movement, recalibrate your breathing, and re-establish a healthy energetic rhythm.

Use this technique when you notice:

Short or shallow breathing
A headache or pressure behind the eyes
Difficulty concentrating or memory lapses
Anxiety, fear, or generalized stress
A feeling of being stuck emotionally or mentally
A sense of disconnection from your deeper self
Digestive issues such as acid reflux or a hiatal hernia flare
Post-illness recovery, fatigue, or low resilience

It is also a wonderful practice to do daily, especially if you are unwell, fatigued, or under emotional strain.

How to Free the Diaphragm

Place Your Hands Slide your left hand beneath the centre of your ribcage, just under the sternum. Place your right hand over the left, stacking them.
Hug Your Midsection Keep your hands flat against your body and draw your elbows in toward your sides. This creates a supportive “hug” around your upper abdomen.
Inhale and Push Take a deep, full inhalation. As you breathe in, gently push your belly and ribcage outward into your hands while your hands offer steady, firm resistance.
Hold and Press Hold the breath for a few seconds. Push your diaphragm toward your hands, and push with your hands back toward your diaphragm.(You are creating a safe, rhythmic pressure—not strain. Avoid holding long enough to feel dizzy - don't let ego get in the way, if you can only hold for a couple of seconds THATS FINE, over time you'll extend the time.)
Release Softly Exhale in a relaxed, unforced way. Let your hands soften and melt away from your body.
Repeat Repeat the whole sequence about three times, or until you feel more open and spacious through your breath.
I'll often end by placing my hands over my lungs, closing my eyes, smiling and thanking them for all that they do + of course some positive self-chatting such as: "It is now safe for my lungs to function fully, with so much flexibility and resilience, drawing all the oxygen I need into every single cell of my body - thank you."

What You May Notice

A deeper, calmer breath
A sense of relief through your chest and back
More mental clarity
Emotional softening
Reduction in headache or facial tension
A more grounded, centred feeling
Improved digestion or release of trapped air
used over extended period of time it can reduce excess cortisol
It can help the quality of your sleep - I'd love to know if you find it does

A THOUGHT - I have already written about the benefits to cortisol levels of spending the first ten minutes of the day outside in natural light - why not add this Diaphragm exercise to that 10 minutes! The synergistic result will be powerful.

If you want to dig deeper ....

There is research showing that diaphragm function is significantly related to static balance. Individuals with lower diaphragm activity (measured by diaphragm thickness fraction or restricted movement) showed greater balance impairment — even among healthy adults. PMC
In a study involving people with Parkinson’s disease, diaphragm thickness and excursion correlated with postural stability, visceral function (e.g. digestion, voice, urinary and bowel function), and respiratory efficiency. Frontiers+1

These studies highlight the diaphragm’s role not just in breathing but in core stability, posture, even organ/visceral regulation.

So, can I invite you for the next couple of weeks to do this FREEING THE DIAPHRAGM every morning and one other time during the day, to suit you. Decide how you are going to evaluate it. I'm going to measure how it impacts my breathing in this cold weather.

Keep balanced and breathing in the Crone Zone! xxxx Maddie

Here are Donna's daughters demonstrating ....