Mastering Breathing Techniques: A Guide to Enhancing Well-being
Breathing Techniques
As with any breathing technique, it's important to practice with awareness and stop if you feel any discomfort. These techniques are generally safe, but if you have a respiratory condition, it's advisable to consult with a healthcare provider before starting a new breathing practice.
Why Are They Beneficial?
Breathing exercises like the ones outlined below are beneficial because they help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body's 'rest and digest' response. This contrasts with the sympathetic nervous system, which governs the 'fight or flight' response. Regular practice of these techniques can lead to improved stress management, better sleep, and enhanced overall mental health.
Incorporating these techniques into a daily routine, especially in stressful or high-anxiety situations, can provide immediate and long-term benefits. It's always recommended to start slowly and gradually increase the duration of the practice as you become more comfortable with the techniques.
Why Different Breathing Techniques Are Beneficial in Different Situations
The effectiveness of a breathing technique is context-dependent and determined by its ability to achieve specific goals. Effectiveness is not universal but varies based on factors such as context and individual objectives. Examples of tailored goals based on your current experiences are outlined here.
For Relaxation and Stress Reduction: Techniques like Pursed Lip Breathing and Three-Part Breathing are effective because they promote a sense of calm by slowing down the breathing rate and encouraging deep, full breaths.
For Concentration and Energy: Techniques like Lion’s Breath stimulate the body and mind, making them suitable for moments when you need a burst of energy or need to refocus.
For Managing Respiratory Conditions: The Buteyko method is specifically designed to improve control over breathing and is beneficial for conditions like asthma.
For Anxiety and Panic: Techniques that focus on extending the exhalation (like Pursed Lip Breathing) are particularly useful in managing acute episodes of anxiety or panic, as they help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing the fight-or-flight response.
Choose the best breathing technique from the list below based on the situation you are experiencing. You may choose to start your breathing practices at home in a safe space before trying them in a public setting to see how each one affects you.
1. Pursed Lip Breathing
Ideal for: Situations of Breathlessness, like Panic Attacks or Physical Exertion, Asthma or COPD
How to Do It:
Sit down in a chair and relax your neck and shoulder muscles.
Inhale slowly through your nostrils for two counts with your mouth closed.
Pucker or purse your lips as though you are going to whistle or blow out a candle.
Exhale slowly and gently through pursed lips for four counts or until all of the air is out of your lungs, trying to breath out longer than your inhale.
Repeat several times.
Benefits:
Slows down breathing, making each breath more effective.
Helps with shortness of breath and improves oxygen saturation.
2. Lion’s Breath (Simhasana)
Ideal for: Stress, Tension, Anger, Lack of Energy
How to Do It:
Kneel on the floor with your feet in line and your hips resting on them.
Spread your thighs a bit and slightly bend forward by placing the palms on the floor between the knees. Your fingers should be facing backwards, towards your body.
Inhaling through the nose, open your mouth wide, stick out your tongue out towards your chin, and exhale forcefully with a “ha” sound.
Repeat several times (4-6).
Benefits:
Relieves tension in the chest and face.
Stimulates the muscles in your face and throat.
3. Buteyko Breathing
Ideal for: Managing asthma, Anxiety, and Sleep Disorders like Snoring or Sleep Apnea
How to Do It:
Sit upright and relax your chest and belly muscles.
Take a small, gentle breath in and out through the nose.
After the exhale, hold your nose with your thumb and index finger to prevent breathing and hold the breath until you feel the urge to breathe.
Resume gentle breathing after the first urges to breathe for at least ten seconds.
Repeat several times.
Benefits:
Helps retrain the breathing pattern and improves respiratory conditions.
Reduces hyperventilation and improves oxygenation of tissues.
Teaches you to breathe more gently and less rapidly.
4. Three-Part Breathing (Dirga Pranayama)
Ideal for: Beginning or Ending a Yoga Practice, Meditation, Feeling Ungrounded or Uncentered, Trouble Focusing
How to Do It:
Lie on your back with eyes closed, relaxing your face and body.
Inhale deeply through your nose filling your belly, then expelling air out from the belly through your nose, ensuring all air is out of your belly.
Repeat this belly breathing about five times.
On the next inhale, fill your belly up with air and then allow the air to fill into your rib cage, widening them apart.
On an exhale, let the air go from the rib cage first and then from the belly.
Repeat this deep breathing about five times.
On the next inhale, fill the belly and the rib cage up with air and this time let the air fill into the upper chest, causing the area around the heart to expand and rise.
On the exhale, let the air release first from the upper chest, then the rib cage, and finally the belly.
Continue at your own pace, eventually coming to let the three parts of the breath happen smoothly without pause.
Repeat several times, focusing on the flow of breath through the three parts, for about ten breaths.
Benefits:
Increases awareness of the breath and helps to deepen it.
Promotes relaxation and reduces stress.
5. Box Breathing
Ideal for: Stress, Mind Fog, Trouble Focusing
How to Do It:
Sit in a comfortable position on a chair with your feet on the floor.
Close your eyes and inhale slowly through your nose while counting to four.
Hold your breath for a count of four.
Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of four.
Wait four seconds.
Hold your breath again for a count of four.
Repeat this cycle for several minutes or for at least 1-3 breath cycles.
Benefits:
Reduces stress and anxiety.
Improves concentration and focus.
Helps regulate the autonomic nervous system.
6. Deep Breathing (Diaphragmatic Breathing)
Ideal for: Stress, Anxiety, Reduced Muscle Function
How to Do It:
Lie down on your back on a flat surface with your knees bent.
Place one hand on your belly and the other on your upper chest.
Slowly breathe in deeply through your nose, ensuring your diaphragm (belly) inflates with enough air to create a stretch in your lungs.
The hand on your chest should remain still, while the one on your belly should rise.
Slowly exhale through pursed lips. The hand on your belly should move down to its original position.
Practice for 5-10 minutes, several times a day if possible.
Note: You can also practice these steps sitting in a chair
Benefits:
Lowers heart rate and blood pressure.
Enhances relaxation and reduces stress.
Improves core muscle stability.
Increases the amount of oxygen in the blood.
7. ‘4-7-8’ Breathing
Ideal for: Anxiety, Trouble Sleeping
How to Do It:
Sit or lie in a comfortable position.
Place the tip of the tongue on the tissue right behind the top front teeth.
Empty the lungs of all air.
Close your eyes and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
Hold your breath for a count of seven.
Exhale forcefully through the mouth, pursing the lips, for eight seconds
Repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.
Note: You may feel lightheaded after doing this for the first few times. Therefore, try this technique when sitting or lying down to prevent dizziness or falls.
Benefits:
Helps with falling asleep quickly.
Reduces anxiety and internal agitation.
Increases mindfulness and calmness.
8. Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana)
Ideal for: Stress, Anxiety, Mental Fog
How to Do It:
Sit comfortably with a straight spine either cross-legged on the floor or in a chair.
Begin by taking a full, deep inhalation followed by a slow, gentle exhalation.
Place your left hand on your knee and bring your right hand just in front of your face.
Use your right thumb to close your right nostril.
Inhale through your left nostril slowly and steadily.
Close the left nostril with your ring finger so both nostrils are held closed; retain your breath at the top of the inhale for a brief pause.
Open your right nostril and exhale slowly through the right side, pausing briefly at the bottom of the exhale.
Inhale slowly through the right nostril.
Hold both nostrils closed (with ring finger and thumb).
Open your left nostril and release breath slowly through the left side. Pause briefly at the bottom of the breath.
Continue this pattern for several minutes or 5-10 breath cycles.
Benefits:
Balances the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
Enhances mental clarity and alertness.
Promotes a calm and balanced emotional state.
*Edited and updated by Shyla Primavera
