Practise taking in a large breath and then expelling it slowly, whilst saying or singing some phrase or other. I find myself singing (or thinking in my head if in a public place) a line from The Messiah - ' I know that my redeemer liveth' - it seems to take the right amount of time to expell a good breath (and stops me hyperventillating when I'm starting to panic - my surgeon thought I was a radical happy clappy Christian when he realised what I was saying to myself on the operating table!!!).

Don't wear a tight waisted top or dress either. Men get the better deal because they get to wear DJ's in concerts, so have nothing preventing the expansion of chest or stomach. Ladies tend to go for nice fitting gowns that show off the assets but don't leave a lot of room for expansion.

Like any other muscle, the diaphragm needs exercise to make it work more efficiently, so the more you practice, the better it will get (I have a habit now of "clenching" everything below the boobs, whilst sitting at my desk.... works wonders for the pelvic floor muscles too!

LTS