Stuttering involves disrupted coordination between the respiratory, phonatory (vocal cord), and articulatory (mouth/tongue) systems. Research shows that people who stutter often have irregular breathing patterns during speech: shallow breaths, attempting to speak on residual air, or inhaling mid-word. Breathing exercises address the respiratory foundation of speech, creating a stable airflow platform from which fluent speech becomes more achievable.
The speech-breathing protocol: (1) Diaphragmatic breath before speaking — take one full belly breath before beginning a sentence. (2) Easy onset — begin the first sound of each phrase on a gentle exhale, not a forceful push of air. (3) Continuous airflow — maintain a steady stream of exhaled air throughout the phrase, rather than starting and stopping. (4) Phrase-length breathing — plan breathing pauses at natural phrase boundaries, not mid-thought. Practice these elements separately, then combine them.
Daily respiratory training: 5-10 minutes of coherence breathing (inhale 5, exhale 5) to build general respiratory control and reduce the anxiety component of stuttering (since anxiety exacerbates dysfluency). Then 5 minutes of sustained exhalation practice: inhale fully, then exhale on a sustained 'ahhh' sound for as long as comfortable. This builds the expiratory control needed for fluid speech. Work with a speech-language pathologist to integrate breathing exercises into a comprehensive fluency program.