Breathing Exercises

This video shows how to do six exercises that can help stretch and strengthen your breathing muscles. Doing these exercises can help you recover from infections that cause breathing problems, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and COVID-19.

Check with your healthcare provider to see if you should follow any safety guidelines before starting any exercise. If you experience pain beyond light discomfort, stop doing the exercises and speak with your healthcare provider.

Your diaphragm, chest wall, and abdominal muscles help you breathe. Your diaphragm is the muscle that separates your chest and abdominal cavity. It gets tight when you breathe in. Taking extra deep breaths helps make this muscle stronger.

Your chest wall and abdominal muscles get tight when you breathe out, especially when you cough. Breathing out strongly through pursed lips, like blowing out candles, helps make these muscles stronger.

When you need to cough, squeezing a pillow against your abdomen can help make your cough stronger and less painful. This is called splinted coughing. You can use splinted coughing anytime you need to cough, including when you're doing these exercises.

It's best to do these exercises in the order they're shown in this video. Try to do these exercises three times a day: in the morning, afternoon, and evening.

If you have COVID-19 or another respiratory infection, only do these exercises when you're alone. Deep, forceful breathing can release bacteria and viruses into the air and infect people near you.

Shoulder Rolls.

The shoulder roll is a good exercise to start with because it's a gentle stretch for your chest and shoulder muscles.

Sit comfortably or lean back in bed with your arms relaxed at your sides. In a circular motion, bring your shoulders forward, up, backward, and down.

Try to make the circles as big as you can and move both of your shoulders at the same time. If you have some tightness across your chest, start with smaller circles and make them bigger as your muscles get looser. Repeat five times.

Diaphragmatic Breathing.

Diaphragmatic breathing can help relax your chest wall and abdominal muscles. Lie on your back or sit in a supportive chair and place one or both of your hands over your abdomen. Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose. Your abdomen should rise, but your upper chest should remain still and relaxed.

Breathe out slowly through pursed lips, like you're blowing out candles. As you breathe out, slowly and gently pull your abdomen towards your spine. Repeat five times.

Shoulder Blade Squeezes.

Shoulder blade squeezes are a good way to help expand your chest wall and move your ribs so you can take deeper breaths. Sit in a supportive chair or lean back in bed. With your arms relaxed at your sides, turn your palms to face up. Gently squeeze your shoulder blades back and down. This should make your chest puff out.

Breathe in through your nose and out through pursed lips. Then relax for a second or two. Repeat five times.

Overhead Chest Stretch.

The overhead chest stretch is a good way to loosen the muscles in your chest and help air move in and out of your lungs. Better airflow can help increase the amount of oxygen in your whole body.

Sit in a supportive chair or lean back in bed. Gently squeeze your shoulder blades back and down. Hold your hands together, and slowly raise your hands as high over your head as is comfortable while taking a deep breath in and a deep breath out. Then slowly lower your hands back down. Relax for one to two seconds. Repeat five times.

Quick Sniffles.

Quick sniffles is an exercise that can help strengthen your diaphragm to help you breathe in more air. Sit in a supportive chair or lean back in bed. Take a deep breath in through your nose. Then quickly sniff in through your nose at least three times without breathing out. Breathe out slowly through pursed lips and relax for a second or two. Repeat three times.

Deep Breathing 4-8-8.

Deep breathing 4-8-8 is a breathing exercise that increases the amount of oxygen in your whole body. Sit in a supportive chair or lean back in bed. Breathe in through your nose for four seconds. Hold your breath for eight seconds if you can. Then breathe out through pursed lips for eight seconds. Relax for one to two seconds. Repeat three times.

If you have any questions, contact a member of your healthcare team directly. If you're a patient at MSK and you need to reach a provider after 5 p.m., during the weekend, or on a holiday, call 212-639-2000.