Umbrella Breath: Teaching Diaphragmatic Breathing in 3 Directions

"Breathe into your belly." It's a cue most of us have used hundreds of times — and it works. But there's more happening beneath the surface than that cue captures. In this Going Deeper video, we look at what the diaphragm is actually doing when you inhale, why the belly moves, and how most of us are only accessing part of what this muscle can do. Then we practice the Umbrella Breath...a variation on diaphragmatic breathing that uses hand placement as tactile feedback to explore the breath in three directions: front body, side bodies, and back body. In this video: *What the diaphragm does on an inhale and why the belly moves *Why "breathe into your belly" points to the effect, not the cause *How the diaphragm moves in three dimensions *A guided breath practice you can use yourself and bring to your students *The connection between full diaphragmatic breathing and the nervous system This video pairs well with the Teaching Backbends video in the Going Deeper playlist — both explore what's happening beneath the surface of familiar practices. Going Deeper playlist: I'm Amy Hardwick — yoga educator, Reiki teacher, and mentor with 25 years in the wellness world. This channel is for yoga teachers and curious students who want to go deeper: into alignment, anatomy, yin yoga, breathwork, and Reiki. Everything here is offered as one lens, not the only lens. There is no one right way to teach yoga, or to practice it. My hope is that this gives you something useful to explore in your own body and bring to your students in a way that's true to you. Ways to learn together: The Aligned Path Mentorship: https://www.amyhardwick.com/mentorship Kula Online Yoga Community: https://www.amyhardwick.com/kula2 Reiki Trainings: https://www.amyhardwick.com/reikitrai... Want to stay in touch? Subscribe to my newsletter: https://amyhardwick.kit.com/6e6f2f9399 amyhardwick.com ‪@amyhardwickyoga‬ _________________________ This content is for educational purposes. Please consult a healthcare professional for any injuries or medical concerns. #yogaanatomy #yogateachereducation #yogaforteachers