Horizontal Breathing Explained

Horizontal Breathing The modern human does not breathe the way our bodies were evolved to breathe Modern humans mainly breathe with auxiliary breathing muscles - the shoulders and the neck. The primary breathing muscles are the diaphragm and the intercostals. The diaphragm flattens and the increased intra-abdominal pressure causes an outward expansion of the abdomen. As the diaphragm continues to flatten, its attachment to the lower ribs and the muscles between the ribs (intercostals) causes the lower ribs, then the upper ribs, to expand, inflating the alveoli. Most of our alveoli are in the lower part of the lungs. At around 5 years old, humans shift from diaphragmatic, horizontal breathing to vertical breathing - breathing with the shoulder and neck muscles. Why? We started sitting for most of the day. The bottom of lungs has the most alveoli to absorb the oxygen. Hence, horizontal breathing is a much more effective way to absorb oxygen and expel carbon dioxide than vertical breathing.