Learning a correct breathing technique can really help in calming your body and mind.
Here are some breathing exercises you can learn and use anywhere.
Box breathing or Four square breathing
Box breathing is very simple to practice. Simply relax your body and do the following:
- Let out all of the air in your lungs to the count of four.
- Keep your lungs empty for a count of four.
- Inhale for a count of four.
- Keep your lungs full for a count of four.
Belly or Diaphragmatic breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing has many benefits that affect your entire body. It’s the basis for almost all meditation or relaxation techniques, which can lower your stress levels, reduce your blood pressure, and regulate other critical bodily processes.
Here’s the basic procedure for diaphragmatic breathing. It may be easiest to practice while lying on the floor when you first start.
- Sit or lie down on a comfortable, flat surface.
- Relax your shoulders, shifting them downward away from the ears.
- Put a hand on your chest and a hand on your stomach.
- Without straining or pushing, breathe in through your nose until you can’t take in anymore air.
- Feel the air moving through your nostrils into your abdomen, expanding your stomach and sides of the waist. Your chest remains relatively still.
Purse your lips as if sipping through a straw. - Exhale slowly through the lips for 4 seconds and feel the stomach gently contracting.
- Repeat these steps several times for best results.
