Hi, I just joined this evening, and am scanning some of the forums, this caught my eye.
I've seen people mention 'singing from your diaphragm' several times, just wondering if everyone knows how to tell if they are? I've run into many folks who don't, and have questions, myself.

Best way I know to figure out how deep breathing feels, is to lie on my back and breath - the stomach/belly raises and falls, that means breath is getting all the way down, and the diaphragm is dropping, creating a vacuum, pulling air to the bottom of the lungs.

The thing I have a question about is the location of 'tension' (maybe not the best word) for support. For years, I think I was supporting too far down, and never had a choir director tell me differently. They never put a hand on my stomach/ low chest to feel it. Now, years later, I think I've finally got it right, and would like some confirmation.

It seems the support comes from right behind the bottom point of the sternum, just where the ribs curve up and meet in the middle, where it's still hard. Does that sound right? I've been told that note changes should come from the diaphragm, not the throat, but always had trouble, because I thought the support was supposed to come from more the belly area. Changing the support to just below the ribcage seems to make it work. Comments?
Pioden

Oh - one more thing, on upper register singing freedom - I remember at a sectional for HS choir (long ago), watching a professional singer from the American Boychoir's summer camp (he came from our town and was back visiting) giving the guys advise - his device for allowing them to use their upper ranges more freely, without choking up, was to imagine throwing a football at the beginning of a down-sliding scale, it feels like raising the soft palate to allow more room for echoing. He would have them make the throwing motion with their arm while singing/sliding high to low (not even a specific scale). Don't sing too hard at first.
Thought it might help someone.
Pioden