Is There Such a Thing as the "Right" Breath? Rethinking Breathing Through a Trauma-Informed Lens
"Breathe deeply."
"Send your breath to your belly." "Only breathe from your diaphragm."
These are some of the most common pieces of advice we hear about breathing. We encounter similar cues on social media, in yoga classes, in exercise videos — sometimes even from health professionals.
But is there really one correct way to breathe that applies to everyone?
No. There is no single correct breath. There is effective breathing.
The Diaphragm Is Already Working
One of the most common instructions in breathing practice is "breathe from your diaphragm". But there's an important distinction to make here.
The diaphragm is the primary muscle of breathing. In a healthy person, it's already engaged with every breath. It isn't a muscle that needs to be activated — it's a natural part of breathing itself.
What's being taught is not the diaphragm itself, but a specific technique called diaphragmatic breathing. This technique can be genuinely helpful for some people. But that doesn't mean everyone needs to breathe this way in every situation.
And when the diaphragm works, it's not only the abdomen that moves. The lower ribs expand three-dimensionally. The ribcage gains volume. The abdominal organs shift downward.
Healthy breathing isn't simply "puffing out the belly". And the idea that the chest shouldn't move at all doesn't fully reflect the natural biomechanics of breathing.
Every Body Breathes Differently
Think of an opera singer — someone who has spent years learning to use their breath in a controlled, sustained way. Now think of a swimmer. Or a 100-metre sprinter. None of their breathing organisations are the same. Because the body adapts to the demands placed on it.
But the differences don't only come from profession or sport. Previous surgeries, chronic pain, pregnancy, posture, past injuries, prolonged stress and life experiences — all of these can shape the way we breathe.
In a sense, every body carries its own story in its breath.
Recommending the same breathing exercise to everyone is a little like giving everyone the same shoe.
Trauma Affects Not Just the Mind — But the Breath Too
One of the most important perspectives in trauma-informed practice is this: when the nervous system is trying to protect itself, breathing can change too.
Some people hold their breath without realising. Some breathe faster. In some, chest movement is more prominent; in others, abdominal movement.
None of these differences automatically mean incorrect breathing. Most of the time, they represent a protective adaptation the body developed at some point in the past.
This is why a trauma-informed approach doesn't begin by telling someone "You're breathing correctly" or "You're breathing incorrectly". It starts with curiosity. It listens to the body. It tries to understand the person's current capacity.
Because without the nervous system feeling safe, simply saying "breathe more deeply" is often not enough. In fact, for some people, intensive breathing exercises can increase dizziness, palpitations, restlessness or a sense of overwhelm.
Myotherapy Approaches Breathing from a Different Place
In myotherapy, breathing isn't treated as solely the job of the lungs. The diaphragm, ribs, spine, pelvic floor, fascial system and nervous system all work together.
This is why looking only at whether the chest or the abdomen is moving isn't enough. The range of movement in the ribs, the flexibility of the ribcage, the rotation of the spine, the load on the accessory breathing muscles, the mobility of the connective tissue, and the nervous system's capacity on that particular day — all of these are part of the picture.
Because sometimes the problem isn't the breath itself. It's that the space in which the breath can move has become restricted.
So What Is Effective Breathing?
Effective breathing isn't a single template. It looks different while running, while resting, while singing, while climbing stairs, while lifting something heavy.
A healthy breathing system can adapt to all of these situations. And that is the real goal — not breathing in one fixed way, but developing a flexible breathing capacity that can change according to need.
A Final Word
Perhaps we've been asking the wrong question for years.
Instead of "Am I breathing correctly?" — asking "How does my body need to breathe right now?" might be far more meaningful.
Because breathing isn't a performance to be corrected. Breathing is the body's quiet expression of everything it has lived through.
The best breath isn't the deepest breath.
The best breath is the one your body, your movement,
and your nervous system can sustain safely — right now.
