360° diaphragmatic breathing

What it works with: this is diaphragmatic breathing. The practice trains neither pace nor the depth of the inhale, but the ability of the diaphragm and lower ribs to expand — that is where breathing becomes full. There is no counting here: what matters is where the movement goes.

Better lying down, or sitting with support.

Put one hand on the lower ribs and the other on the belly.

How to breathe: on the inhale, feel the belly and lower ribs expand gently forward, out to the sides and a little to the back. On the exhale, let them return to where they started.

Where to focus: hold your attention, the whole practice long, on the way the belly and lower ribs expand under your hands — forward, out to the sides and a little to the back. If attention drifts into thoughts, bring it calmly back to that expansion. That expansion is the practice; without it, it is only breathing.

Don't push the belly out by force and don't lift the shoulders. The breath should stay quiet and comfortable. Explore the volume of the body from every side, as if the breath made a soft wave around your waist.