Take a Breath, or Three
Reduce Anxiety & Improve Sleep with these three different breathing techniques
BREATHING EXERCISE 1: BREATH OBSERVATION
Do this simple breathing exercise for five minutes once a day. Your goal is simply to keep your attention on the breath cycle and observe. No matter how the
breath changes, even if the deviations become very small, just continue to follow them. This is a basic form of meditation, a relaxation method, and a way
to begin to harmonize body, mind, and spirit.
1. Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight and your eyes lightly closed, having loosened any tight clothing.
2. Focus your attention on your breathing, and follow the contours of the cycle through inhalation and exhalation, noting, if you can, the points at which one phase changes into the other.
BREATHING EXERCISE 2: LETTING YOURSELF BE BREATHED
This exercise is best done while lying on your back, so you might want to try it while falling asleep or upon waking.
1. Close your eyes, letting your arms rest alongside your body, and focus attention on your breath without trying to influence it.
2. Now imagine that with each inhalation the universe is blowing breath into you and with each exhalation withdrawing it. Imagine yourself to be the passive recipient of breath. As the universe breathes into you, let yourself feel the breath penetrating to every part of your body, even your fingers and toes.
3. Try to hold the perception for ten cycles of exhalation and inhalation. Do this once per day.
BREATHING EXERCISE 3: THE 4-7-8
Measured Breathing is one of the most underrated and often forgotten treasures when it comes to helping us calm and relax. Breathing is what we do unconsciously and naturally, so it’s easy to overlook how powerful it can be.
If you suffer from anxiety or constant thoughts of self-judgement and negativity, this breathing technique can make a world of difference. You’ve probably noticed that when you’re feeling anxious or stressed, you breath more rapidly, alerting your system to a perceived threat. The effect is not just on your mind, dealing with the stressor but also your body. You may get sweaty palms or feel flushed, tense or even your stomach tightens and aches. With consistent stress and anxiety, we develop digestive challenges, headaches and more physiological symptoms.
Conversely, to relax, practicing an opposite breathing pattern for a slower, more measured pace helps to calm our nervous system back down, releasing the stressed chain reaction in our body.
4-7-8 Breathing
The 4-7-8 breath-work is an ancient technique that helps to reduce anxiety and is also often used to aid in falling asleep. It’s quick, easy and can be done anytime and anywhere. The best part? It can often be performed without anyone even knowing you’re doing it!
With just a few practice sessions you won’t have to feel embarrassed or uncomfortable when implementing it. For maximum benefit, practice at least twice per day. Over time it gets easier, more natural and more effective.
“Practicing a regular, mindful breathing exercise can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders.”
Andrew Weil, M.D.
To perform 4-7-8 Breathing
In a nutshell, 4-7-8 breathing involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding your breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds. By performing this technique you’re signaling your body to focus on breathing, overcoming the stressor and allowing your mind and body to shift into a relaxed state.
Here’s how in 3 easy steps:
1. To begin, prepare yourself:
If possible, find a quiet place where you can sit comfortably with your back straight, allowing your chest and diaphragm to be open
Place the tip of your tongue to the inner surface of the upper front teeth, then slide it just above your teeth until it rests on the alveolar ridge, the soft tissue between the teeth and the roof of the mouth.
Keep it there during the whole exercise.
2. Begin breathing:
With your mouth closed, inhale quietly through your nose using a paced count of four. Breathe deeply into your diaphragm, not just to top of your lungs (if you place your hand over your torso, you’ll you’re your diaphragm expand up and your ribs out)
Hold your breath for a count of seven
Exhale fully, and audibly (whoosh sound), through your mouth for a controlled count of eight
3. Repeat this cycle up to three more times, for a total of four breath cycles
Note: if it’s challenging to hold your breath for the count of 7, speed up the whole cycle count, keeping the speed for all three segments 4-7-8, consistent. With each practice, slowly extend your counts to a comfortable, deep inhale and exhale at a controlled pace that is comfortable and calming. The count is based on consistent pacing versus timed seconds on a clock.
As you’ll see, the 4-7-8 breathing exercise is a powerful tool to leverage whenever you need it. Whether it’s a difficult encounter with a friend, sudden school or work pressure, feelings of overwhelm or anxiety, endless repetition of thought patterns, or needing to clear your head and relax yourself to sleep.
For best results, be sure to practice at least two times a day (or more!) for a month before adding any additional cycles. If you feel a little light-headed the first few times, feel free to take a pause, make sure you’re getting a good deep inhale and begin again. In months 2 and 3, as you build on the technique and capacity, you can begin adding more cycles up to a total of eight cycles.
That’s it! A free, simple and highly effective method that you can take anywhere, do anytime and reap the rewards.
For more on the benefits of breathwork, listen to this episode of the Healthy Teen Life podcast: