Breathing animation should be subtle, unless your character is hyperventilating. In either case, here are a few tricks to help you nail the motion:

INHALE
The lungs and chest expand. This causes a chain reaction in the body: the shoulders lift, the head rotates up a bit, the nostrils narrow under the pressure of the air coming in (or the mouth opens when breathing in through the mouth). Make sure to offset the motion as it travels up the spine, from the chest into the head.

EXHALE
Reverse it! The chest deflates, the shoulders go down, the head rotates back down. Depending on the type of exhale, you can include some subtle facial animation (nostrils flaring or cheeks puffing and then deflating as the air escapes the mouth).

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