You Don’t Have Lungs In Your Belly!

One of the most common (and confusing) pieces of advice I hear out there is: “Breathe into your belly.” (In fact, this phrase nearly tanked my voice and singing career for years).

Well, here’s the thing:

You don’t have lungs in your belly.

Your lungs live higher up, in your ribcage. They’re designed to fill from your collarbones down to about the bottom of your ribcage, but not into your abdomen.

Yes, your belly does move when you breathe deeply, but it’s not because you’re breathing into it. It’s because the diaphragm (your main breathing muscle) is moving and pressing down gently on your organs, which allows the lower part of your ribcage to expand more fully. The movement you feel in your belly is a natural, healthy effect – not the goal.

I can’t tell you how many clients I’ve worked with who beat themselves up for “not breathing into their belly right” or “not using their diaphragm.”

(Hint: you can’t breathe without using your diaphragm. So go ahead and breathe a sigh of relief, my dear. You’re already using it! It’s possible you’re underutilizing it, but rest assured, your diaphragm is doing its job (and with the approach I’m sharing, it will automatically become even more efficient).

Within just 5 minutes of shifting this perception – taking the pressure off, focusing on breathing into their lungs, letting the ribs expand, and giving the belly a break – clients feel so much more ease, confidence, and depth in their breathing.

Here’s a simple practice you can try:

Imagine you’re standing in cold water up to your waist. If you were to take a breath to pull yourself up and away from the water, you would naturally feel your torso lift slightly, your tummy pull gently up and in, your shoulders float lightly up (not hunched, just buoyant), and – importantly – your ribcage expand out to the sides and back.

That’s a beautiful, supported breath.

You can also imagine wings unfurling from your back body, spreading wide across your ribs and shoulder blades. Remember, the side and back body hold most of the surface area of your lungs. That’s where the magic happens!

If you want more support, here are a couple of short reels I made that walk you through these concepts visually:

One of the most common (and confusing) pieces of advice I hear out there is: “Breathe into your belly.” (In fact, this phrase nearly tanked my voice and singing career for years).

Well, here’s the thing:

You don’t have lungs in your belly.

Your lungs live higher up, in your ribcage. They’re designed to fill from your collarbones down to about the bottom of your ribcage, but not into your abdomen.

Yes, your belly does move when you breathe deeply, but it’s not because you’re breathing into it. It’s because the diaphragm (your main breathing muscle) is moving and pressing down gently on your organs, which allows the lower part of your ribcage to expand more fully. The movement you feel in your belly is a natural, healthy effect – not the goal.

I can’t tell you how many clients I’ve worked with who beat themselves up for “not breathing into their belly right” or “not using their diaphragm.”

(Hint: you can’t breathe without using your diaphragm. So go ahead and breathe a sigh of relief, my dear. You’re already using it! It’s possible you’re underutilizing it, but rest assured, your diaphragm is doing its job (and with the approach I’m sharing, it will automatically become even more efficient).

Within just 5 minutes of shifting this perception – taking the pressure off, focusing on breathing into their lungs, letting the ribs expand, and giving the belly a break – clients feel so much more ease, confidence, and depth in their breathing.

Here’s a simple practice you can try:

Imagine you’re standing in cold water up to your waist. If you were to take a breath to pull yourself up and away from the water, you would naturally feel your torso lift slightly, your tummy pull gently up and in, your shoulders float lightly up (not hunched, just buoyant), and – importantly – your ribcage expand out to the sides and back.

That’s a beautiful, supported breath.

You can also imagine wings unfurling from your back body, spreading wide across your ribs and shoulder blades. Remember, the side and back body hold most of the surface area of your lungs. That’s where the magic happens!

If you want more support, here are a couple of short reels I made that walk you through these concepts visually:

Please, know this in your heart:

If you’ve been struggling with your breathing, it’s not your fault.

You are already a lean, mean breathing machine. Your body is built to breathe well, it just sometimes needs a little permission and the right focus.

There’s no single “perfect” way to breathe. Different activities, body types, and even moments in life call for different kinds of breath. And that’s not wrong. It’s brilliant.

Breath is life. Breath is freedom.
And you, my friend, were born to breathe with ease.

If you’re feeling the call to reconnect with your voice – whether for healing, creativity, or simply to find joy again – I’d be honored to walk that path with you.

✨ You can start your journey today with my Free Holistic Voice Class. It’s an hour-long exploration of breath, movement, sound, and vocal awakening that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home.

Password to access: FREEYOURVOICE

Ready to go deeper with your voice? 

If you’ve taken the free voice class and your soul is whispering “more please!” – well, there is more!

Singing From Your Soul: A Journey to Soulful Singing, Speaking, and Living
is my self-paced online course that gives you the full foundation of my vocal healing work.

It’s more than just singing—it’s a return to your essence.

And if today’s breathing insights resonated with you — you’ll be happy to know that rewriting your relationship with breath is a big part of what I teach in this online course.

There are five full videos dedicated specifically to breath. That’s nearly an hour of detailed support guiding you to experience breathing (and vocal freedom) on a whole new level — with more ease, confidence, and joy.

Inside Singing From Your Soul, you’ll find:

🎤 Embodied vocal technique — creative, intuitive tools to help you sing, speak, and express yourself with ease and confidence (no rigid rules here!).

🧘‍♀️ Nervous system + sound healing — gentle practices to calm anxiety, heal old fears of being heard, and support your breath, sleep, and voice.

💃 Unblocking your expression — dissolve what’s holding you back so you can speak your truth, set boundaries, and shine more brightly.

📝 Journaling + somatic rituals — simple, powerful ways to move stuck emotions, shift old stories, and feel grounded, confident, and free.

💖 Soulful expression practices — bring more joy, courage, and magic into your voice, your body, and your life.

Whether you’re a shower singer, a curious creative, or someone yearning to find your true voice—this journey is for you.

Singing From Your Soul: A Journey to Soulful Singing, Speaking, and Living

Step into your voice, your power, and your joy. It’s time. 💫

All this talk of breath – let’s pause and take a deep, nourishing inhale together. ✨

And a long, easeful exhale.

Ahhh… that’s better, isn’t it?

Keep singing, wild soul, for yourself and for the whole.

BlesSINGS!

Singer • Sound Healer • Holistic Voice Practitioner • Artist

Founder of Singing For Your Soul

A Beautiful, Healing Journey

P.S. In case you’re wondering, here’s what clients are saying about the SInging From Your Soul online course:

“Wow, your course is amazing. I’m almost done and truly enjoying it. You’ve created such a beautiful and supportive learning space—I can feel how much heart and energy you poured into it. As I moved through the material and journaling, a lot of emotion came up for me. I’m fascinated by everything you teach about the body, voice, frequencies, and healing. Thank you, Kimberly!”

~ Julia

Reclaiming My Voice in the Classroom

“I can’t recommend Kimberly’s online program Singing From Your Soul enough! I’m an elementary music teacher and was plagued by stress about singing in class. I felt badly about my voice, and what I once loved had become a chore.

After years of performance anxiety, I was hesitant to work with another voice teacher. When I found Kimberly’s course, it felt like a lifeline. Kimberly focuses not only on technique but also on healing emotional blocks.

Kimberly shares in such a loving, warm, non-intimidating way. She’s full of wisdom, and because she’s faced her own voice fears, she brings a unique perspective. She’s funny, relatable, and compassionate—and now that I’ve worked with her 1:1, I can say she’s exactly like that in real life too.

I feel so blessed heading into this school year with the tools Kimberly’s course gave me. I’m finally looking forward to singing with my students again—and plan to share many of these techniques with them too.”

~ Liz Meyer