Your Lungs Aren’t in Your Belly, Honey

At some point in your life, probably when you were feeling tense in your shoulders, your jaw was tight, or your heart rate was up, someone has told you to “just take a deep breath.” Or maybe they’ve gone one step further and suggested “belly breathing.” The idea being that the deeper you breathe, the calmer you’ll feel.

But here’s the thing: if there’s restriction in your trunk or through your respiratory diaphragm, “taking a deep breath” doesn’t mean you’re actually getting one.

And let’s be clear about this... your lungs are not in your belly. They are nestled within the architecture of your rib basket, beautifully suspended in your side ribs and your back body. Yes, your belly moves when you breathe, and it should. But a real, nourishing breath also needs expansion through the ribs and back. If that expansion is restricted, the breath you take likely won't feel too good, bring ease, or give your body the structural support it’s asking for.

Why Breath Mechanics Shape the Way You Move

Here’s something most people miss: posture is a breathing strategy.

Your body will always find the position that lets you get the most oxygen with the least effort. If you have compression or tension patterns (and let’s be honest, most of us do) your body will shift into whatever alignment makes it easiest to breathe around those restrictions. This is clever in the short term, but over time those compensations affect everything from strength to stability to gait.

So if we want movement that feels balanced, powerful, and sustainable (whether that’s in strength training, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, or just daily life) we have to start with the breath. We have to understand what positions the body moves into when we inhale and when we exhale, and we have to address whether those positions are reinforcing our restriction or creating space within it. Balanced breath is not an “extra” thing. It is the starting point.

How Breath Affects Your Nervous System 

We’ve all heard that breathing regulates the nervous system, and yes, it absolutely can. But not everyone experiences it that way. Some women find that certain types of deep breathing actually feel activating or even agitating, which can be confusing if you’ve been told it’s always supposed to bring calm.

Part of the answer lies in the vagus nerve, specifically the ventral branch of the vagus nerve, which is part of what’s called the ventral vagal pathway in polyvagal theory. This branch primarily influences the muscles of the face, throat, and upper chest, supporting social engagement, vocalization, and a sense of safety. While the ventral vagus itself does not physically travel into the pelvis, the fascial and structural midline (from the throat, through the diaphragm, into the pelvic bowl) is interconnected through myofascial, vascular, lymphatic, and neural pathways.

When the midline is compressed, twisted, or out of balance, the tissues along it can lose their mobility. Blood and lymph flow may be reduced, and nerve structures may no longer glide with ease. This can shift breathing mechanics, limit how fully the diaphragm can move, alter ribcage position, and disrupt the pressure balance through the thoracoabdominal cavity. All of these changes affect how clearly the vagus nerve communicates with your body. And because the ventral branch plays such a central role in helping you feel calm and regulated, restrictions along the midline can shape the way your nervous system responds to breathing practices.

When we begin with positional breathing to release structural tension, we’re not just “taking a deep breath.” We’re creating the space for fascial tissues to move more freely, for diaphragmatic movement to be more balanced, and for the conditions that support healthy vagal function to improve. Over time, this can make breathing feel more genuinely regulating, rather than forcing your system into a pattern it can’t yet support.

So if deep breathing hasn’t been helping you relax, it may be because the structure your breath is moving through still needs space, mobility, and balance for your nervous system to respond the way you want it to.

Coming Back to Breath Basics

For something the body does automatically, breathing well is a skill that asks for attention and practice. It is less about forcing the breath into a certain pattern and more about clearing the path so it can move without obstruction. It means noticing the places where your breath does not yet reach, and patiently giving your structure the support, mobility, and balance it needs for that space to open.

When the breath becomes balanced in this way, the benefits ripple through the entire body. Every lift, every step, every reach feels more grounded and supported, because movement is now built upon a foundation that is both stable and spacious.

This is exactly what we’re focusing on in The Breath Clinic inside True Core Health. Four weeks, four guided calls, each one giving you the positional breathing tools to support your nervous system, release structural tension, and set your whole body up for better movement.

Your lungs aren’t in your belly, honey — but your breath really is at the center of everything.