Here is a report from the VA Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation. It was made possible through a collaborative effort between the University of Wisconsin Integrative Health Program, VA Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, and Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation.

THE POWER OF BREATH: DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING
Diaphragmatic breathing is sometimes referred to as belly, deep, relaxed, or abdominal breathing. It optimizes the use of the main muscle of breathing, the diaphragm, resulting in slower, deeper breathing. It can be an important skill in a Veteran’s self-management toolbox. With practice, most clinicians can teach it to their patients in 5-10 minutes.
In contrast to shallow breathing, diaphragmatic breathing is marked by expansion of the abdomen rather than the chest during the in breath. With shallow breathing, also known as thoracic or chest breathing, minimal breath is drawn into the lungs, using primarily the intercostal muscles and not the diaphragm. When lung expansion occurs lower in the body, breathing is described as “deep” and corresponds with observed or felt movement of the abdomen outward with inhalation.

The entire article is in the attached PDF.

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