Singing and posture–see Categories, About, Launch 4-2014

http://themodernvocalist.punbb-hosting.com/viewtopic.php?id=3718

The diaphragm needs to be thought of in relationship to the spine and the area underneath the diaphragm.

Try this trivial exercise to understand extremities of this.   Crunch yourself up in a ball, and try to breathe using the diaphragm, and notice its difficulties.  Then go into a military stance posture and breathe noticing its effects on the diaphragm.

When one crunches up, it is extremely difficult to get the diaphragm to exert pressure.   In military stance, notice that the area immediately underneath the ribs and its lower back is strongly supported by the viscera and muscles underneath, and by the upward thrust of the lower back.   But military stance has greater diaphragm movement than the crunched up position, even though, because the ribs are taut, breathing is harder.

Now, slightly back away from the military stance, while keeping the “support” from the lower back and viscera to keep the upper chest (and hence also the diaphragm) uplifted. You should now have a freer to move diaphragm, in a simplistic explanation.  (The complicated explanation further involves the pelvis, neck-throat, upper chest, gravity, emotions, and head.)

Most of the postings here involve how one breathes, the vocal cords, the sounds.   I suggest, instead, to focus on the primary anatomical parts (head-leg, pelvis, ribs, etc. and not the ones with Latin names) and determine freedom of diaphragm based on these.

One perspective at extending length of breath is to exercise its expansion, as you’ve done.

Another perspective is asking why the length of breath is naturally extended?   Usually, the answer, I believe, comes in that the diaphragm is too tense, and thus, not only doesn’t fill fully, but moreso, wants to return to a taut state.   Hence, you are unable to control its release, because it was too tense to begin with.

So, the question next comes, why is it so tense?   If we look at the diaphragm, the apparent answers will be that the lower back isn’t extended straight and that the chest may be concaved in.   This leaves the diaphragm easy to retain its tense state.  

Hence, the objective here is to first release this tension.

Releasing tension can be accomplished, in part, through exercise, which is what you’re presently doing.   But usually, this approach is partial in its effects.   One has to do all kinds of methods to relieve the excess or insufficient muscle tone throughout the diaphragm, usually beginning with ergonomic posture changes.