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One of the things that makes practicing yoga unique is that it connects you to your breath. You’re continually reminded to breathe more slowly and deliberately, bringing your attention and intention to something that otherwise occurs autonomically thousands of times each day, usually without thought or care. That means the language we rely on when teaching yoga—and breathing—is pretty important. And if you’ve practiced or taught yoga in recent months, one breath cue that you’ve probably heard—or, if you’re a teacher, said—is “breathe into your belly.”
Though not without controversy for its anatomical incorrectness, the cue is intended to help you find ways to expand your breath and tap into the movement of your respiratory diaphragm, take in more oxygen, and experience the regulated nervous system associated with slow breathing.
Your primary muscle of relaxed breathing, the diaphragm separates the chest and abdominal cavities. When you inhale, it contracts downward and slightly outward, causing the lungs to draw downward along with it. This expands the chest cavity and literally draws more air in from the space around you. The downward movement also displaces the abdominal organs slightly, causing your belly to well.
The rhythmic movement that results is a natural part of relaxed breathing. Deliberately focusing on experiencing this on your yoga mat creates an opportunity to observe and even encourage diaphragmatic breathing. The suggestion to “breathe into your belly” supports this by drawing the breath lower than the upper chest, where many of us tend to stop our inhalations.
The cue is especially useful when you are seated, reclined, or moving in a way that doesn’t require intense support from your abdominal muscles. In those instances, it provides the permission many of us need to release braced abdominals to allow for the natural movement of the breath.
But the trouble with this cue (aside some people’s objections to it being anatomically inaccurate) is it can result in overdoing it by forcefully pushing your belly outward rather than relying on the diaphragm to create that movement organically.
It’s unlikely a single cue will achieve that aim for everyone. So if “breathe into your belly” isn’t having the desired effect for you or your students, or you’re simply wanting to explore alternate approaches, there are other cues you can consider.
How to Cue “Breathe Into Your Belly” (Without Saying That)
Cue the Abdomen More Subtly
If the idea of the belly being the driver of the breath leads to over-activity in the core, try rephrasing the language around the cue without changing its location.
- Soften your belly as you breathe
- Let your belly swell gently with each breath in
Invite Your Breath Lower and Inward, Not Forward and Outward
Since the aim of this cue is to draw your inhalation lower than your chest, you could also cue that movement directly.
- Each breath in descends to the bottom of your torso
- Send your breath down low
- Breathe low and wide
Focus on Ease Over Location
Another approach is to focus on the breath moving with minimal effort, especially in your neck and shoulders, and not reference abdominal movement at all.
- Allow your breath to flow through you
- Invite your breath to move with ease
- Breathe soft and slow
- Relax into your breath
- Let your breath linger
- With each breath relax your jaw
- As each breath passes through you, your shoulders rest on your top ribs
- Imagine each breath melting down the sides of your neck
Cue the Side Body Instead of the Front Body
Since the diaphragm moves downward in all directions, not just forward toward your navel, you could focus on the other areas that expand along with the lungs.
- Expand or inflate your side ribs
- Feel your low ribs move as you breathe
- Breathe into your front, side, and back body
- Invite your breath to expand your low ribs in all directions
Sometimes when the effortless expansion you look for on the mat isn’t happening, the solution could be as simple as changing your focus.
