Seven Diaphragms
Many studies of anatomy have proposed and worked with the understanding of multiple diaphragms existing and interacting with eachother within the human body, with multiple schools of thought giving importance to the relationship between these diaphragms as being core to the structural needs of the human body. Indeed, many theories have even linked the breathing to more than just the main respiratory diaphragm.
Within the context of Whole Body Breathing, we see the bodies structure as an as-above-so-below tensegrity continuity with at least seven diaphragms.
The Seven Diaphragms are:
- The Scalp
- The Main Head Diaphragm
- The Lower Jaw
- Thoracic Inlet
- Main Respiratory Diaphragm
- Pelvic Diaphragm
- Feet
The below 3D model depicts the Whole Body Breathing Multi-Diaphragm Model and Lines of
These Diaphragms directly influence the psychosomatic/affective experience. See PsychoSomatics
2 Lines
Soft Inner Line and Hard Outer Line
Ventral and Dorsal
Within Whole Body Breathing, the body can be generally separated into a harder outer and a soft inner. The soft inner is generally referred to as containing the viscera - the soft tissue and organs, as well as the generally softer/less dense anterior hard tissue which contains it.
In this model (which can be moved, zoomed, and rotated) the red lines are the “soft inner”, the blue lines are the “hard outer”, and the green domes are the diaphragms.
The Hard Outer Line consists primarily of, from bottom to top:
- Top of the foot
- Anterior Tibial Tendon
- IT Band
- Outer Hips and Thoracolumbar Fascia (Merge with Legs Soft Inner)
- Spine, Meninges
- Shoulder Blades → Shoulders, Triceps, Outer Forearm, Outside of Hand
- Scalene Muscles into cranial meninges, Nuchal Ligament into the scalp
Peripheral muscles of this group would include everything part of the “hard outer” part of the body - anterior shin, quadriceps et al, quadratus lumborum and latissimus dorsi, trapezius and SCMs et al
The Soft Inner Line consists primarily of, from bottom to top:
- Bottom of the Foot
- Achilles Tendon
- Inner Thigh Adductor group,
- Psoas to Thoracolumbar Fascia (Merge with Legs Hard Outer)
- Linea Alba and Sternum - in a compensated pattern, the viscera of the stomach and chest would take on a bigger role
- Infra and Supra Hyoid Muscles
- Viscerocranium
Peripheral muscles of this group would include everything part of the “soft inner” part of the body - calf, inner thigh, viscera and pleura of the torso, inner neck muscles, tongue and pharyngeal muscles / fascia et al
The following image is a good approximation (though not exact to WBB theory) of how the hard outer and soft inner lines balance eachother out. The 7 Diaphragms merge between the two lines and provide tensegrity and struts - the entire body inflates and deflates at once using tension along these lines
Resources for Further Research and Understanding
The Five Diaphragms in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Part 2 Myofascial Relationships.pdf
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Respiration/Posture Lines
The reason that posture and breathing are linked is because you must be able to breath in any posture and move from any posture - the body does not have redundant lines of force transfer to accomplish this, the same lines of force are used. The main lines of your resting posture are the main lines of your resting breathing, the compensated lines of poor posture/form can be the compensated lines for poor breathing. This is usually ok, so that you can still breath while in strange or hunched positions by recruiting improper fascial/muscle chains, but if the compensation becomes your natural / default breathing mode then your form will be pulled out of shape by the force of 20,000 pulling motions from the breath every day. In developing individuals it will clearly be improper skeletal structure; In developed individuals who later become compensated it will first manifest as pains and joint issues (or other issues) before the actual structure begins deterioration.
Let us explore the proper lines of respiration and posture:
