Time: < 30 Minutes
STEP 1: To begin, sit down in a comfortable position, putting one hand on the chest and the other on your stomach, and take a deep breath in through the nose, feeling your stomach expand out against your hand while keeping the hand on your chest as still as possible. Make sure the diaphragm inflates fully to create a slight stretch in the lungs (the diaphragm is located just beneath your lungs).
STEP 2: Try getting six to ten slow, deep breaths per minute for approximately ten minutes every day. Set a timer for ten minutes, or listen to ten minutes of relaxing, calm music. There may be immediate benefits such as reduction in heart rate and blood pressure, and after six to eight weeks of regular practice, the advantages will likely become even more apparent.
STEP 3: Another method is “alternate nostril breathing” more commonly known in yoga as Nadi shodhana. This type of breathing can be used to help relieve feelings of anxiety and stress. To begin alternate nostril breathing, sit comfortably on the ground, a pillow, or blanket. Rest the left palm gently on the left knee and raise the right hand to the nose. Using the right thumb, gently close the right nostril and begin inhaling slowly through the left nostril. When the breath reaches its peak, close the left nostril with the ring finger. Pause for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly through the right nostril. Continue alternating which nostril is used to breathe, repeating the pattern eight to ten times. When completed, ease back to normal breathing.
STEP 4: The “fourfold breath” is easy to do and can be used as a warm-up before meditation or yoga, or to gain clarity or reduce stress in times of panic. To begin, inhale a full breath through the nose for a total of four seconds. Hold it for an additional four seconds and then completely exhale for another count to four. Now keep the lungs empty for another four seconds and repeat back from the start. Do 10–20 times, or until you begin feeling calm and less anxious.
STEP 5: “Morning breathing” is used to help clear obstructed breathing passages and relieving muscle stiffness. Morning breathing can also be used throughout the day to relieve back tension. Begin in a standing position, bending forward at the waist with knees slightly bent and arms dangling to the floor. Inhale slowly and deeply, returning to a standing position by rolling up slowly, lifting the head last. Hold the breath for a few seconds in standing position and exhale slowly, returning to the original position.
