The diaphragm has muscular parts and central tendons. It means it can get tight just like any other muscles.

What would happen to the lumbar spine when it gets tight? Since it is attached to the L1,2,3 out of the 5 lumbar spines, a tight diaphragm can pull its attachment. If the L1,2,3 gets pulled forward, the vertebral discs below (L4,5) can be affected and most of the disc issues occur at the L4,5 level.

So the question is how can the diaphragm get tight? Again, it's similar to all the muscles in our body. When you are a person who doesn't do much exercises, your muscles slowly get weak and tight. The same goes for the respiratory muscles. If you exercise, the movement of the diaphragm gets much larger than when you sit for long periods of time. Basically, the diaphragm doesn't get exercised in a sedentary lifestyle and slowly weakens/tightens.

Postural imbalance, ageing and inappropriate breathing pattern can also lower its function, so it is very important to engage proper breathing when exercising. All the exercises in this program will be conducted with a special breathing technique that will use the diaphragm most effectively.