Simple breathing exercises for different situations
How often do you find yourself aware of your breathing? Surely you have noticed your breathing quickening when excited or enraged and maybe even you have felt yourself holding your breath when you see something particularly beautiful. Our breath is part of our emotional makeup just like laughing and crying, but we hardly seem to notice it. Yet even without our awareness our breath is reacting and setting our moods. With access to our breath we can make it beneficial for our daily lives. If you haven't already, read our intro to breathing article in order to get the basics of breathing down. Once you have become aware of your breath you can use it as a tool to identify your emotions. For example, maybe you are starting to get angry but you haven't consciously realized it yet, but suddenly you see you are breathing heavy, your shoulders are high and your fists are clenched. Your body is displaying stress while your conscious mind may not be aware yet! But now with the ability to access your breath, you can use your breathing as a way to slow your stress down.
Just as stress can cause your breathing to change, you can reverse it by reducing your stress through breathing. It sounds deceptively simple, but something as small as 2 minutes of breathing in a controlled way can significantly change your mood. Of course not all breaths are created equal, so we have created a list of 4 different breathing exercises to achieve four different moods and energies depending on what your day requires. Start each exercise for as a little as 15 seconds but you can increase the exercises to as long as you need.
1- Breathing for Energy
Also known as the stimulating breath, this exercise will increase energy quicker than coffee and is less habit forming! Start by bringing awareness to your breath. Now seal your lips together and begin 3 short, sharp inhales and 3 short sharp exhales. These are rapid quick breathes intended to get your heart rate up and wake you up from a slump. Set a stopwatch and do this no longer than 15 seconds for your first try but you can work your way up to 2 minutes. Because this exercise does simulate hyperventilating, be sure to listen to your body. Decrease the length of your practice should you feel light headed.
2- Breathing to Focus
Breathing to focus can be done with a box breath. A box breath simply means you are spending equal amounts of time on each cycle of your breath: inhale, hold, exhale, hold. Focus your breath equally between your diaphragm and your lungs and start your normal breathing pattern. We recommend starting at the count of 5, breathe in 5 seconds, hold 5 seconds, exhale 5 seconds, hold 5 seconds, but if 5 feels too long or too short you can add or detract in 1 second increments until you find your sweet spot. Repeat this cycle for at least one minute but up to 10 minutes, depending on what your body needs. Use this breath as a way to focus before an important meeting or presentation.
3- Breathing to Sleep
When it is time to sleep but your mind simply won't calm down, there are several breathing exercises available but our favorite is the 4-7-8 technique from Dr. Andrew Weil. Like box breathing, 4-7-8 refers to how long you spend in each cycle of your breathe. Inhale for 4, hold for 7 and exhale for 8, immediately going back to the inhale for 4. Now this is an advanced breathing technique. You may find yourself struggling through one of the cycles and this is ok. If you find you are struggling, try prefacing this exercise with a breathing exercise to calm down before attempting the 4-7-8 breath. You also can try quickening your counts, but we find that tends to create more mental clutter, not less. Repeat this cycle until you find yourself drifting off to dreamland
4- Breathing to Calm Down
Breathing to calm down is perhaps the most well known method of using your breath. I am sure everyone has received or given the advice to “just breathe”when someone is getting angry or irrational. Of course the reaction to this advice is rarely the intended response, the old adage remains solid advice to those feeling overwhelmed. The next time you feel like you're drowning, start bringing awareness to your breath. You likely will have an elevated breath and heart rate pattern. Start slowing your breath down and gently bring your breath to your diaphragm. Open your lips slightly and close your eyes. Inhale through your nose, filling your belly and letting your chest remain absolutely still, and exhale through your mouth. There are no counts for this but focus on extending each cycle slightly longer until you find your heart rate has dropped and your body has returned to normal. We recommend doing this for at least 30 seconds but up to 5 minutes.
These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to breathing exercises. Personally, we love breathing exercises because they are an exercise you can pack with you anywhere in the world. You don't have to worry about forgetting equipment or a change of clothes at home, you can do it in a bathroom or even on the train. It is a powerful tool that can be done anywhere. Because these are powerful tools, be sure to listen to your body when you are practicing these exercises. Never should you feel any discomfort, light headedness, dark spots in vision, etc. If you experience any of these symptoms or simply don't feel well in the exercise, immediately stop and return to your normal breath. You can return to the exercise for a shorter duration or shorter breath cycles on another day, but if you find the same symptoms return, seek out our myriad of other breathing exercises.
Have you ever tried breathing exercises? Do you have a favorite we didn't get to? Contact us with any comments or questions at info@bullionite.com