Bodywork for Better Breathing

By Margarita Camarena, CMT 


“You can live one month without food; three days without water; but only a few minutes without breath.” 


You might have heard this quote before. Dr. Eric Rubin of Northpoint Chiropractic mentioned it to me in a conversation recently, and it reminded me of how bodywork can improve the quality of one’s breath. 


Most of us only notice how we breathe when we get out of breath. We probably don’t notice ways in which we’ve gotten chronically short of breath, because it has happened over time. This might happen because we coerce our breath with ideas of how we should breathe or because of our emotional state. It might be due to the impact of muscle tensions. It might be due to both, especially since our willfulness and emotions interplay with the state of our tissues.

For the purpose of this article, we will focus on how getting bodywork can enhance the breath by (a) releasing muscular tension and adhesions and (b) breaking patterns due to psychosomatic, emotional and stress related causes.

With a bit of awareness and bodywork, we can free our breathing up and by doing that, free ourselves up as well. Yes, it’s a high claim, but as Dr. Rubin highlighted above, the breath is that fundamental to our life.

The Art of Breathing

The diaphragm resembles the
top of a balloon, or an umbrella

When we breathe, a complicated synergy happens: we inhale, the diaphragm contracts, drawing down the lungs, which then fill with air. The ribs expand as well, opening up the many muscles that connect them. The diaphragm presses against all the belly organs, while the expanded lungs pushes against muscles of the chest and neck. We exhale, the diaphragm relaxes, the lungs empty, the ribcage compresses and all the organs and muscles, which were pressed, relax back into place. From inhale to exhale to inhale, a pumping action is created, continually moving toxins out, flooding fresh blood in, and relaxing the body.

In the act of breathing, almost all the body gets touched and moved. The contraction of the diaphragm and the expansion of the lungs creates a soft massage to every muscle of the belly, chest, shoulders and neck (which is to say nearly all our muscles!) as well as to most of our organs.

If you observe your breath while lying down, you might notice the subtle movement of your legs, rotating out when on the inhalation, and back in with the exhalation — even our legs are affected!

While the diaphragm is the principal muscle of breathing, there are many "accessory muscles of breathing". These are the helper muscles that assist breathing.

Ready for a long list?

Depending where you read about them, the accessory muscles of breathing can include the scalenes, sternocleidomastoid, serratus anterior, pectoralis major and minor, upper trapezius, latissimus dorsi, erector spinae (thoracic), iliocostalis lumborum, quadratus lumborum, serratus posterior superior and inferior, levatores costarum, transversus thoracis, and subclavius.

Quite a few muscles! Which means quite a few routes for the breath to be impacted. These muscles aren’t actively involved in normal quiet breathing. Many of them mainly come play a role in forced inhalation and some with exhalation. But tension in any of these muscles can inhibit normal breath. In addition, poor breathing habits can force them overwork. 

If the diaphragm or the accessory muscles of breathing don't function freely, the movement of the lungs is impacted. The cleansing and relaxation functions of the breath are reduced and we can become more susceptible to illness. In addition, shortness of breath can increase anxiety, fatigue, and stress. 

On the other hand, once all the muscles are functioning well again, the self-massaging effect of the breath helps keep them relaxed.

Breath and Emotions, Emotions and Breath

One of the great insights of disciplines like massage therapy, somatic psychology and yoga is that opening up the body opens up the emotions and the psyche as well. The converse is true, too: open up the emotions and the psyche, and the body relaxes.

Which, unfortunately, also means that closing down one of these can close the other.

drawing by Patrick Smith

Picture the body language of a depressed person. Sunken chest, dropped shoulders, head drooping forward: a posture that compresses the lungs, restricts the breath and physiologically dampens vitality.

Now picture the opposite, the person of vitality. We usually portray a person with head held high, a deep breath filling their lungs and thrusting their chest up.

How we breathe affects our posture and our sense of well-being. Our sense of well-being affects our posture and affects our breathing.

Psychosomatic holdings can impact breathing.

Ideas about how to breathe, can impact how you naturally would do it.

For instance some people have learnt to keep their gut sucked in. This prevents the diaphragm from going through its full range of contraction and relaxation; this results in a shortened breath. It might also cause the accessory breathing muscles to be overinvolved in breathing, leading to more tension there.

Some people picked up the notion that they should breathe into their chest. They lose their relaxed diaphragmatic breath, overrun the natural rhythmic breath cycle, and overwork the accessory respiration muscles. The impact might show up in the body or in the spirit. They might get neck tensions or a sense of frustration and impatience. Or both.

Massage Therapy to Help the Breath 

Getting bodywork can have a direct, immediate, positive impact on respiration.

Working the muscles between and around the ribcage allows the lungs to expand more. Lengthening and unwinding compressed accessory breathing muscles (remember that long list above?) increases lung capacity and improves pulmonary function. Massage can also address restrictions that prevent the diaphragm from expanding and closing. The end result is fuller, relaxed breathing. When you are able to breathe fully, your energy level improves and your immune system gets a boost.

Massage therapy has been show to:

• Decrease asthma attacks
• Increase lung capacity
• Reduce allergies
• Increase energy
• Strengthen immune system
• Improve mental clarity
• Improve pulmonary function
• Aid people with chronic obstructed pulmonary disease
• Increase of endorphins to balance your emotional state
• Clear airways from mucus for better lung function
• Aid panic disorders and prevent panic attacks

A Focused Session: Improving the breath

Become aware of your breath. Can you feel a pattern in the out-breath and the in-breath? When you are relaxed do you breathe with your tummy and your chest passively expands, or do you feel like your chest is doing some of the work? Compare your inhalation or exhalation. Does either feel more constrained? What is the quality of your breath? Notice whether is it shallow, deep, slow, fast, soft, or hard. Does it have a feeling or emotion associated with it, such as anxiety, depression, anger, boredom, nostalgia? 


These are the sorts of questions I will ask at the beginning of a session focused on improving the breath. I will also conduct a visual body reading for clues as to what accessory muscles are impinging the breath. In a focused session we target a specific part or process of the body with different modalities to release, stretch, and integrate the muscles back into balance. To help the breath, belly and chest work would be involved, as well as work to the back and the neck (proper draping is used when working on chest and belly). Some of the modalities used would be: myofascial release, trigger point, deep tissue, stretching and mobilization as well as Swedish to clean up adhesions and release restricted tissues. 


Intentional vs. Natural Breathing

We can get in the way of our own breathing. So far I’ve been talking about breath in a general way. At this point it would be good to make a distinction between the automatic act of breathing, which just happens, and intentional breathing, where we consciously orchestrate it. Intentional breathing has many useful functions. By timing breath to actions, such as playing an instrument or playing a sport, we can improve performance. We can also use it to reduce tension in the body, modify sensations of pain or pleasure, change our tone of voice and alter emotions. 


But a lot of the time, we would ideally like to let breathing just happen. 


Be an active participant during your bodywork session through your breath 


A massage session can be one place to practice intentional breathing. 
Focus your breath on the areas being worked on, as if you are breathing into that area. Use the breath to keep yourself relaxed when we find a tender spot. Exhale to enhance the sense of unwinding. Use the breath’s movement across the body to check whether you are unintentionally holding an area of your body, like your shoulders, the back of your legs, your fingers, your toes. 


Most importantly, keep breathing! Sometimes I notice people holding their breath, as if they are waiting expectantly. 


Engaging your breath during your massage enhances the experience and helps your body assimilate change work. It is like opening and creating space from the inside-out, as we work from the outside-in! If you are not sure how to do this, feel empowered to ask at any time and I will guide you. 


Tips for improving your breath

Bring more awareness to your breath. Awareness means observation, not coercion. Don’t overthink the process, just watch it happen casually. 
Placing one or both hands on your belly is an easy way to track your breath, and encourage relaxed belly breathing. 


Casually stretch while at work. Brings your arms above your shoulders to open up the lungs. 


Let yourself have a full yawns. 
As a quick reset, prolong the exhalation, forcing all the air out, pause one or two seconds with the breath out, then let yourself inhale naturally. 


Get your breath going with aerobic exercise for a period of at least 20 minutes at least 4 times a week. Try to do it outdoors to get fresher air. I suggest something fun like dancing or hiking or a fast walk.




Try Pranayama Yoga or a moving meditation like Qi Gong or Tai Chi. These are a great way to build a conscious relationship with your breath on top of being effective at managing stress and the ailments it causes.


As always, do not hesitate to leave comments and comments. Better yet, come visit Atelier Emmanuel for a massage and see how much freer you can breathe after a massage!

Margarita offers Swedish, Trigger Point Therapy, Deep Tissue, Craniosacral, Stretching, Mobilization Work and Reiki. She uses multiple modalities to reach the goals desired by her clients.