If you’ve been stretching, foam rolling, and strengthening but your posture still sucks or your low back still hurts—there’s a good chance you’re missing one major thing: how you breathe.
Yeah, it sounds basic. But most people are walking around breathing completely wrong—chest high, shoulders rising, abs tight for no reason. The fix? It starts on the floor, belly-down, learning how to breathe like a crocodile.
Crocodile breathing might sound gimmicky, but this drill is one of the simplest, most effective tools we use at Forefront to restore natural core function, reduce tension, and unlock better movement. Athletes, chronic pain patients, and even everyday desk workers benefit from it—and once you try it, you’ll get why.
What Is Crocodile Breathing?
Crocodile breathing is a simple, ground-based breathing drill done lying face down with your head turned to one side. You inhale through your nose and direct the breath into your belly and lower ribs, rather than your chest or neck.
Why the name? Because crocodiles, when they’re resting in the sun, lie still on their bellies and breathe with deep, natural expansion through the sides and back of their ribcage—not their chest. That’s exactly what we’re trying to retrain in humans.
It’s not just “deep breathing”—it’s diaphragmatic control with feedback from the floor. This kind of breathing teaches your nervous system to relax, re-engages your deep core muscles, and helps reset poor postural and movement patterns.
Why Does Crocodile Breathing Matter?
Let’s start with the big picture: breathing is the foundation of movement. It affects your core function, spinal alignment, nervous system regulation, and even joint mobility.
Here’s what happens when you breathe wrong (like most people do):
- Your chest rises, pulling your neck and shoulders into tension
- Your diaphragm stops moving fully, causing your core to stay tight or disengaged
- Your body stays in a low-level fight-or-flight state—tight, tense, and anxious
- Your posture shifts forward, compressing your spine and shortening your muscles
Now flip that: when you breathe properly using your diaphragm, your core stabilizes from the inside out, your nervous system calms down, and your joints move like they’re supposed to.
Crocodile breathing is the fastest way to retrain this because:
- The floor gives instant feedback (you feel your belly pushing down)
- You’re not fighting gravity like in standing or sitting positions
- It reinforces expansion into the low ribs and low back, not the upper chest
At Forefront, this is a foundational drill in both rehab and performance programming. Before we load someone up with weight or send them into a high-velocity sport, we make sure their breathing patterns aren’t sabotaging everything else.
Who Needs Crocodile Breathing?
Short answer? Pretty much everyone. But here’s where it’s especially useful:
1. People with Poor Posture
If your head juts forward, shoulders are rounded, and your ribs flare out—you’ve likely lost touch with your diaphragm. Crocodile breathing teaches your body to center itself again.
2. Chronic Pain Clients
Neck pain, low back pain, hip tension—all these can be linked to dysfunctional breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing helps turn off protective tension and encourages true relaxation and reset.
3. Athletes and Lifters
If your core is bracing incorrectly or you lose tension at the bottom of a squat or press, this drill can reprogram your intra-abdominal pressure, improving both performance and safety.
4. Stress and Anxiety
Breathing is your direct line into the nervous system. When you breathe like a crocodile, you shift from “fight-or-flight” into “rest-and-digest.” That alone can change how your body feels all day.
How to Do Crocodile Breathing Correctly
Here’s a step-by-step guide to doing it right. Don’t rush it—this isn’t about reps or time, but about awareness and feel.
Step 1: Set Up
- Lie face down on a mat with your forehead on your hands or turned to one side.
- Let your feet fall out naturally—no tension.
Step 2: Breathe In
- Inhale slowly through your nose.
- Feel your belly press into the floor and your lower ribs expand out sideways.
- Imagine a balloon inflating in 360° through your midsection.
Step 3: Breathe Out
- Exhale fully through your mouth, like you’re blowing through a straw.
- Let your body relax completely.
- Wait a beat before your next inhale.
Repeat for 8–10 slow breaths, focusing on smooth movement and full exhalation. You should feel the tension melt from your shoulders and neck.
Pro tip: place a small book or towel under your belly if you’re not sure where to breathe—it should rise slightly with each inhale.
What to Watch For (and What to Avoid)
You might be surprised how hard this is at first. Most people default to upper chest breathing even when lying down. Here are some things to check:
- Don’t shrug your shoulders—they should stay relaxed
- Don’t arch your back—keep the spine neutral
- Don’t rush the breath—take 4–5 seconds in, 5–6 seconds out
- Don’t push the belly only forward—think sideways and into the low back too
If you’re struggling to feel anything, that’s okay. It means your brain needs time to reconnect. That’s why at Forefront, we often guide people through this in person—it’s simple, but powerful when coached right.
How Crocodile Breathing Translates to Real Life
Once you’ve re-learned how to breathe correctly, it’s time to take that pattern into movement. That’s the part most people skip—and it’s why they fall back into old habits.
Here’s how we progress it at Forefront:
- Quadruped breathing – Same pattern, but now on hands and knees
- Wall breathing drills – Reinforces posture and rib alignment
- Loaded carries and lifting – Breathe under load while maintaining core control
- Sport-specific movement – Breathing with rotation, sprinting, or overhead work
Crocodile breathing is just the start—but it sets the tone for how your body stabilizes and how your nervous system behaves under stress. That has carryover in everything from lifting heavier to sitting longer to sleeping better.
Want to Learn This Firsthand? Come See Us at Forefront
Breathing right isn’t just about relaxing—it’s about retraining your body at the deepest level. And honestly, it’s hard to do right without real coaching.
At Forefront, we use crocodile breathing as part of a full-body assessment that helps you move better, perform better, and feel better—whether you’re dealing with chronic pain or prepping for your next big race. Call us today!