QUESTION: Is there a connection between some women’s body issues regarding the belly, causing them to retract their belly and, thus, develop impaired breathing?
ANSWER: Yes, there is a connection between belly complexes and impaired breathing. Here is an article that, among other things, addresses this: “Women in the risk zone develop deteriorating breathing habits“.
Men, too, may have the same problem as many feel they must portray themselves as strong and masculine by pushing their chest forward and pulling their stomach in.