What if one of the simplest things you could work on for your health required no equipment, no supplements, and no gym membership?
Breathing.
We breathe thousands of times every day, mostly without thinking about it. But how we breathe matters.
In our office, we work with children and adults with a wide variety of neurological, developmental, vestibular, postural, and chronic health concerns. One thing we’ve been noticing more frequently during our examinations is lower than expected oxygen saturation readings in patients of all ages.
That doesn’t automatically tell us why someone’s oxygen saturation is lower. There are many possible causes, and persistently low oxygen saturation should always be appropriately evaluated.
But it has made us pay even closer attention to something we already evaluate frequently:
How well is this person actually breathing?
Breathing Is a Movement
Your lungs don’t pull air into themselves on their own.
Breathing requires movement.
One of the primary muscles responsible for that movement is the diaphragm, a large dome-shaped muscle underneath the lungs. When the diaphragm contracts, it moves downward and helps create the pressure change that draws air into the lungs.
And the diaphragm doesn’t work in isolation.
Breathing mechanics interact with the abdominal muscles, pelvic floor, rib cage, spine, and other muscles of the trunk. That’s one reason breathing and core stability are so closely connected.
So when we’re looking at a child with poor trunk stability, a patient recovering from an injury or concussion, or an adult who has spent years breathing primarily into the upper chest, we may also want to look at how the rib cage and abdomen move during breathing.
Take a Look at Your Own Breathing
Here’s something you can try right now.
Put one hand on your upper chest and the other around your lower ribs or abdomen.
Take a comfortable breath in through your nose.
What moves?
Does your upper chest immediately lift toward your ears?
Does your belly move?
Can you feel your lower ribs gently expand?
Do you feel movement around the sides of your rib cage—or does almost everything happen in the upper chest?
There isn’t one “perfect” breathing pattern that everyone should force themselves into. But this simple exercise can help you become aware of something your body does all day long.
Your Diaphragm Is a Muscle
This is the part people often forget.
Your diaphragm is muscle tissue.
Like other muscles, respiratory muscles can become fatigued, deconditioned, or weak under certain circumstances. Research on respiratory muscle training has shown that these muscles can also respond to training.
That doesn’t mean everyone needs a breathing device or complicated breathing program.
Sometimes the first step is simply learning to use the diaphragm and rib cage more effectively.
Try This at Home: 360° Breathing
Here’s the best part: this one is free.
Lie comfortably on your back with your knees bent.
Place your hands around your lower ribs.
Now breathe slowly through your nose and imagine your lower rib cage expanding in every direction:
Front. Sides. Back.
Rather than trying to take the biggest breath possible, think about taking a quiet, controlled breath.
Allow the ribs and abdomen to expand as you inhale.
Then slowly exhale and let everything soften back down.
Try several comfortable breaths without straining, forcing, or holding your breath.
For kids, you can make it even simpler:
“Can you make your belly and ribs grow like a balloon?”
The goal isn’t to breathe more. It’s to become aware of how you’re breathing and allow the diaphragm and rib cage to participate.
And Yes: Posture and Core Strength Matter
This is also why we don’t look at breathing as an isolated system.
The diaphragm is part of a larger pressure and stabilization system involving the trunk. Breathing mechanics, posture, rib-cage mobility, abdominal control, and core stability influence one another.
For some patients, breathing work may therefore be paired with activities that improve trunk control, posture, coordination, mobility, or overall conditioning.
Especially in children, what looks like “poor posture” may be part of a much bigger picture involving tone, endurance, motor development, and how the body organizes itself against gravity.
A Quick Note About Pulse Oximeters
A pulse oximeter can be useful, but the number on the screen shouldn’t be interpreted in isolation.
Movement, cold hands, circulation, nail polish, skin pigmentation, device quality, and other factors can influence readings. If you’re getting an unexpected reading, sit still, warm the hand, make sure the device is positioned correctly, and wait for a stable number.
Most healthy individuals have oxygen saturation readings between 97% and 100%, although individual circumstances can differ.
Repeated or persistently low oxygen saturation, especially when accompanied by shortness of breath, chest pain, bluish lips or nails, worsening cough, confusion, or other concerning symptoms, should be medically evaluated. Breathing exercises aren’t a substitute for determining why oxygen levels are low.
Something Free You Can Do Today
Health can get complicated.
Sometimes it involves testing, treatment, supplements, equipment, or significant lifestyle changes.
But sometimes it starts with paying attention to something you’re already doing thousands of times a day.
Take a minute today and notice your breath.
Are your ribs moving?
Is your diaphragm participating?
Can you take a slow, quiet breath without your shoulders doing all the work?
Your brain and body depend on oxygen every minute of every day.
Breathing may be automatic.
Breathing well is still worth practicing.
