Breath Exercises for Centering, Calm, and Rejuvenation: Three Breathing Techniques for Better Living
Breathing exercises are one of the most reliable ways to regain control of your emotions, anxiety, and physiological and psychological reactions that can spin out of control and become overwhelming. They aren’t new, either; Techniques like Lamaze — which is used to control the pain and stress of childbirth naturally and without drugs — and Pranayama yoga — often used to find focus and reduce tension — are popular and beloved forms of breath control. Most people intuitively understand the value of "deep breathing" when feeling stressed or emotional. Even athletes and performers will practice breathing exercises before approaching difficult tasks.
Mindful breathing — breathing performed with a will and consciousness — can help break the patterns of emotional triggering, anxiety, depression, and breathing response; things that can create a vicious amplifying cycle of mood→ tense breathing→ more mood→ tenser breathing→ and so on.
These three breathing techniques can help restore focus, calm negative moods, and rejuvenate depressed and exhausted states:
1. Centering
A centering breathing exercise can help restore focus and consciousness during meditation, long hours of study, and confusing or erratic events.
Begin by finding a comfortable position, which may be standing or sitting. Pause and take a moment to focus on the breathing you are already practicing. Note whether you are chest breathing (expanding the chest during an inhale) or diaphram breathing (expanding the stomach), nose breathing or mouth breathing, and breathing quickly or slowly.
Begin the exercise by breathing in rapidly and deeply through the nose (if possible), as if sucking in your breath. Breathe diaphramatically and expand your belly and lungs as much as is comfortable. Take in as much air as you can before you slowly (much more slowly than you inhaled) exhale through your mouth. Pause for a few seconds (again, as much as is comfortable) and then repeat seven to ten times before you begin or return to your activity.
2. Calming
A calming breathing exercise can help you find grounding and ease tension when anxiety, anger, grief, or other difficult emotions begin to spiral out of control. It may also help ease physical and emotional pain.
Begin by taking several shallow, rapid breaths in and out through the nose. Match your inhale and exhale, making them of equal force and duration. Gradually increase the length of your inhale and exhale until they are several seconds long, deepening your breathing and expanding your diaphram fully. Focus on your breathing only.
Continue breathing deeply and slowly for up to a minute or until you feel calm and under control. In this meditative state, you may wish to examine your feelings or you may want to leave your thoughts for now, until you’ve found a better time to work them out.
3. Rejuvenating
A rejuvenating breathing exercise can help alleviate depression, exhaustion, and feelings of psychological fatigue. It can be useful when dreaded tasks loom ahead, the eleventh hour approaches, and when stress and fatigue set in but there are still tasks to be done.
Begin by standing or sitting up straight. Breath in deeply — as deeply as you can comfortably breathe, which will feel almost like a yawn. Expand your lungs and diaphram fully. Breathe out deeply and quickly, exhaling as much of the air in your lungs as possible. Then hold your breath (with no air in your lungs) for several seconds, or as long as is comfortable. Repeat this pattern six to eight times, stretch your body a little, and approach your task with renewed vitality.
I hope you've found these exercises useful!
Thanks for reading.
— TJ
