Take a Deep Breath: How Breathing Exercises Can Help You Relax, Reduce Stress, and Feel Good

Author

Sasha Baldeosingh, MSc. Mental Health Therapist at Lifelong Living Counselling Services

Feeling stressed or anxious? Is your neck and shoulders tensed? Taking a few deep breaths might be the solution you need. Breathing exercises are simple, effective techniques that can help promote relaxation and reduce stress levels. In this post, we'll explore some popular breathing exercises and their benefits. Click Read More.

What are Breathing Exercises?

Breathing exercises are techniques that involve actively paying attention to your breathing and working with the breathing pattern. You can do this to promote relaxation and reduce stress. Breathing exercises can range from simple techniques like "belly breathing" or counting your breaths, to more complex practices used in areas like pranayama yoga. 

What are the Benefits of Breathing Exercises?

There are a range of benefits to doing breathing exercises. 
Mental and Emotional Benefits

1. As pointed out by the title of this post, breathing exercises can help with reducing stress and anxiety. By focusing on your breath and slowing down your breathing, you can activate the parasympathetic system and reduce the symptoms that typically show up with anxiety and stress. 
2. Improving focus: Breathing exercises can help improve focus and concentration by oxygenating the brain. The practices themselves can also help train the brain to focus since it is a practice of being mindful and removing distractions. 
3. Enhancing overall mood: Deep breathing can enhance the production of endorphins, which are natural chemicals in the body that can improve mood and reduce feelings of pain and stress.
4. Promoting relaxation: Breathing exercises can help promote feelings of calmness and balance to emotions. This can be useful for anxiety as well as individuals struggling with symptoms related to past trauma. 
5. Increased emotional awareness: Breathing exercises can help you become more aware of your emotional state and better able to regulate your emotions due to the stillness that comes with focusing on your breathing. This can lead to greater emotional intelligence and better interpersonal relationships
6. Greater mindfulness: Breathing exercises can help you become more present and mindful in the moment, which can lead to greater self-awareness and a deeper connection to yourself and others.

Physical Benefits

1. Lowered blood pressure: By promoting relaxation and reducing stress, breathing exercises can help lower blood pressure and improve heart health. 
2. Reduced muscle tension: Stress can cause a lot of tension in the muscles. By activating the body's relaxation response, breathing exercises can help reduce muscle tension and promote physical relaxation. 
3. Improved lung function: Practicing breathing exercises can help improve lung capacity, making it easier to breathe deeply and effectively and bring more oxygen into the body.
4. Increased energy: By improving oxygen intake and circulation, breathing exercises can help increase energy levels and reduce feelings of fatigue.

Breathing Exercise Techniques

Here are some simple breathing exercise techniques you can try right now:

1. Deep breathing: Deep breathing involves taking slow, deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. You can try inhaling for a count of four, holding for a count of four, and exhaling for a count of six.
2. Belly Breathing/Diaphragmatic Breathing: If it is the first time trying this technique, it is easier to do it lying down. This is a technique that involves breathing deeply into the belly rather than shallowly into the chest. Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly. Breathe in feeling your belly to rise first, and then your chest. Breathe out allowing your belly to fall first, and then your chest. 
3. Box breathing: Box breathing is a technique that involves inhaling for a count of four, holding for a count of four, exhaling for a count of four, and holding for a count of four.
4. 4-7-8 breathing: This technique involves inhaling through your nose for a count of four, holding your breath for a count of seven, and exhaling through your mouth for a count of eight. You can play around with the numbering keeping in mind that exhales activate the parasympathetic system (relaxing) and inhales activate the sympathetic system (energizing).
5. Breath counting: This technique involves counting each inhale and exhale, up to a certain number (for example, 10). So inhale 1, exhale 2, inhale 3, exhale 4, etc. If your mind wanders, start over at one.​

More Advanced Breathing Techniques (takes practice and professional guidance) 

1. Alternate nostril breathing: Alternate nostril breathing is a bit more of a complex technique that involves closing the right nostril (R) with your thumb while inhaling through the left nostril (L), then closing that nostril (R) with a finger and exhaling through the first nostril (L). Repeat on the other side, alternating back and forth. Inhale left, Exhale right, Inhale right, Exhale left.
2. Ujjayi breathing: Also known as "ocean breath," this technique involves breathing in and out through the nose while slightly constricting the back of the throat (mouth closed, lips touching), creating an audible "ocean-like" sound.
3. Lion's breath: This technique involves taking a deep inhale through the nose, then exhaling through the mouth with a loud "roar" sound.
4. Kapalabhati breathing: Also know as the "breath of fire" or "skull shining breath", this is a energizing yoga breathing technique that involves short, forceful exhales through the nose, followed by passive inhales.
5. Bellows breathing: This technique involves taking quick, forceful inhales and exhales through the nose, while keeping the mouth closed.

​If you feel dizzy with any of these breathing exercises, stop and return to your normal breathing rhythm. With practice, you can extend the time of practice. 

Incorporating These Exercises into your Life

Breathing exercises are simple and easy techniques to incorporate into your daily routine. You can try practicing deep breathing for a few minutes before bed, upon waking up, in the bathroom, or during a work break. With regular practice, you may notice a reduction in stress and anxiety levels, and an overall improvement in your mental and physical well-being.

Breathing exercises are a powerful tool for promoting relaxation and reducing stress and anxiety. By incorporating simple techniques into your daily routine, you can experience the many benefits of intentional breathing.

Please note that the information provided in this post is not intended to serve as a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health condition. 
Photo by Sid Leigh on Unsplash