Why Does My Belly Look Like an Hourglass? It’s a Breathing Issue!

Do you notice a horizontal fold across your upper belly, like in the photo? 

That’s a sign of upper abdominal gripping.

It means when the upper abs stay tense and pull the upper belly inward, creating that visible crease.

In the video, you can see that during normal breathing, 

most of the movement happens in the chest, 
and the ribs flare outward,

while the mid and lower abdomen barely expand.

Why does that crease appear?

When the upper abs (especially the upper rectus or external obliques) remain overactive,

they pull the upper abdominal wall inward and upward,

creating a tension boundary below the ribcage.
Without proper diaphragmatic movement,

pressure stays high in the upper belly and low in the lower,

and visually, that imbalance shows up as a horizontal crease.

This means the core “pressure cylinder” is broken,

so the “intra-abdominal pressure (IAP)” can’t build evenly throughout the trunk.

Common issues that may follow:

⚠️Low back tightness or pain (poor spinal stability)

⚠️Neck & upper back tension (overuse of accessory breathing muscles)

⚠️Pelvic floor overactivity or poor coordination (from insufficient intra-abdominal pressure)

⚠️Shallow breathing or fatigue (diaphragm can’t move efficiently)

⚠️Core weakness (especially during exercise)

How to improve it:

With better alignment and guided movement, we use Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS), a method based on baby development, to retrain breathing and reconnect your core.

Balanced breathing leads to balanced pressure and a stronger, more stable body that moves and feels better.