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Our Expert Guide to Breathing Techniques Nearly Anyone Can Learn to Use
An excellent goal for most of us is the integration of more relaxed breathing into our lives on a moment-to-moment basis.
Nearly all of us can benefit from using relaxed breathing in our lives, even if only in stressful and demanding situations. If focusing on breathing creates distress, other relaxation techniques may be more appropriate, at least initially. Many of the following techniques can be integrated into your day or utilized in a daily practice.
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The Basics: Why is Conscious Breathing So Important?
Breathing is essential to our survival, but most of the time we are not even aware we are doing it. Focusing on breath is an excellent way to bring our awareness into our bodies and into the present moment, and different breathing techniques can help us move out of a fight-or-flight state into a more relaxed parasympathetic state.
Beginning to Breathe:
Simply focusing on where you are breathing can lead to relaxation. Start by placing a hand over your abdomen and feeling the abdomen rise and fall. Deep breathing typically involves breathing in through the nose, and out through the mouth. Start by inhaling for a count of 10 and then exhaling for a count of 10 in your mind.
Inhale (One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten)
Exhale (One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten)
Take up to ten (10) slow, deep breaths using this technique, feel your abdomen rise as you inhale, and fall as you exhale.
Rhythmic Breathing:
Rhythmic breathing involves counting inhalation, holding the breath, and exhalation. You can count to the same number (e.g. 10) on the inhale and the exhale, or you can count in for four (4) and out for six (6) -- the 4-6 breath.
The 4-7-8 breath has been used in Eastern practices for centuries. Breathe in for a count of four (4), hold for a count of seven (7), and exhale for a count of eight (8).
Inhale (One, Two, Three, Four)
Hold (One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven)
Exhale (One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight)
If you do it for more than a few breathing cycles when you are first learning, you may feel a bit light-headed.
Beyond the Basics: Additional Tools and Techniques
Now that you have some experience focusing on your breathing, the following techniques will ask you to use your imagination to further get in touch with your breathing.
Breathing Holes
Imagine that you have breathing holes in the bottom of each foot. Then, breathe in through the bottoms of your feet, with the breath coming to the middle of your body. Next, breathe out through the bottoms of your feet. Enjoy the imagery and notice that breathing might naturally slow and deepen over several minutes.
Waves
Imagine your breathing as gentle waves of an ocean or lake. With each inhalation, a gentle wave flows in. With each exhalation a gentle wave flows out.
Square Breathing
Visualize a square. During the inhale, visualize a horizontal line forming, and then a vertical line. On the exhale visualize another horizontal line and vertical line forming to complete the square in your mind's eye. Complete several rounds, using the formation of the square to direct your inhalation and exhalation.
Full Commitment to the Exhalation
Breathe with your normal breath in. On the exhalation, focus on letting all of the air completely out of your lungs. Make a full commitment to your exhale. Then, instead of just breathing in right away, wait until your body wants to breathe again. Continue but let any sense of effort drop away as you practice this technique.
Pursed Lips
Enjoy taking an easy breath in. On the exhale, breathe out slowly through pursed lips. As you practice this, you might imagine you are blowing out a candle or inflating a balloon.
Breathing Affirmations
Breathing in, think or say internally, "I am." Breathing out, think or say internally, "at peace." You can adjust this to use other words that work better for you. For example: breathing in to the words "I am" and breathing out to the word "calm."
Find the technique or the combination that works for you. You can take an element of one and combine it with another in a way that tailors them to your needs. If you would like to join us at Rosewood Retreat Center for a guided approach to wellness, consider registering for one of our upcoming retreats.
Further Reading We Recommend
An online source to learn more about breathing techniques is Dr. Andrew Weil's website. He illustrates several techniques including bellows breath, relaxing breath, and counting breath.
In general, however, breathing exercises are quite safe, and nearly anyone can learn to do them.
It is helpful to know that we have not failed in using relaxed breathing if our mind becomes distracted. This is part of the human condition. When this happens, notice any judgments that might arise in your mind and then gently let go, refocusing back on the breath. Slowing your breathing rate can lower blood pressure, improve asthma symptoms, and even improve the quality of life for people with lung cancer.
Conscious Breathing: Breathwork for Health, Stress Release, and Personal Mastery,
Gay Hendricks (1995)
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