JUST BREATHE: 5-minute Breathing Exercises to De-stress Your Life
How many times did you tell yourself to take a deep breath when it’s all becoming too much? Stress... something we all experience at one point in our life. Whether you are stressing about your job, love, money, or kids, the 5 easy breathing techniques below may help you to tackle the issue by bringing some peace and calmness into your life. Don’t wait until you can’t handle the pressure anymore before committing to those simple, daily exercises.
They can be practiced at any time, anywhere! Whenever you feel the need just BREATH!
3 easy yoga-inspired breathing exercises to quiet the mind
#1 Abdomen breathing
When we feel stressed, we tend to breathe shallower and faster then what’s good for us. This breathing technique will help you to relax and focus while taking deep breaths straight from the abdomen. Excellent breathing technique to relieve stress before attending to an exam, important meeting, or any other stressful event that may occur during your day.
- Get into a comfortable seated position. All positions are ok as long as you feel comfortable. Use a cushion or blanket for support if needed.
- Straighten your spine and put both hands on your knees or in your lap.
- To enhance the calming effect, close your eyes and slowly inhale through your nose. Fill up your lungs and feel how your belly expands. Some people like to place their hands on their belly to feel the rhythmic movement, which may add to the calming effect.
- When at the top of your inhale, start to slowly exhale through your nose until your belly is back to the original starting position.
- Continue the process for 5 minutes (or as long as needed) and concentrate on the feeling of the air floating in and out your nostrils. Take a note of this gentle process.
#2: Equal breathing technique
Focus your mind and calm your body with this simple breathing technique. This type of breathing has a calming effect on your nervous system and reduces stress while staying focused at the same time. Having trouble to fall asleep at night? Is your mind too busy with distracting thoughts? Then this easy breathing technique can do wonders! It works better than counting sheep to calm the mind and get rid of all the distractions that are keeping you awake.
- Find a comfortable seated position and use a blanket or cushion if necessary. Straighten your spine.
- Close your eyes and breathe normally through your nose. Focus on this simple process for a few breaths. When you feel ready, start counting till four (or more when you get more experienced in this technique) when inhaling and do the same when exhaling, matching the length of every in- and exhale.
- Continue this breathing style for several minutes.
#3: Alternate nostril breathing
This is one of my favorite breathing techniques to balance the right and left side of the brain? If you need more energy or have to focus, this exercise is for you. It makes you feel more awake, like drinking coffee. So this is not a before-bed breathing technique.
- Again, sit in a comfortable position with a straight spine. Use padding if needed. I like the normal cross-legged position or a half lotus can be nice too.
- Gently close your right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through your left nostril. At the peak of your inhalation, close off your left nostril with your left thumb. Exhale through your right nostril. Following, inhale through the right nostril when at the peak close it off and exhale through the left nostril. Get into the rhythmic cadence and continue to alternate between left and right nostril for 5 to 10 minutes.
Thanks for reading! Until next time!!!
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Angkor Wat? Amazing place ! I loved it there.
Yep! Love it too! 5 min drive from my home :-)
Wow . That is amazing ! Beautiful surroundings for sure!
I would go there every day if it wasn't $38 for one day... feeling very blessed to live here! So much different from Europe.
Yes it became very expensive since february. We had to pay 38 as well. 65 for 3 day pass.
iv tryed twice to make yoga twice with an instructor didnt work xD soon ill share my anti-stress method ! :) thanks for sharing amy !!
Looking forward to that! Although it is very hard to be stressed when you live in Cambodia, many friends I have are regularly stressed out because of their jobs...
Great post! And so true, such simple exercises can have such profound results. I haven't done alternate nostril breathing in a while, thank you for the reminder! <3
My Pleasure... nothing more important to life than your breath.
I need to breathe. Real good breathing. :) Thank you! @amy-goodrich
You are welcome... these easy breathing techniques will help you to focus and improve your breathing while de-stressing your life.
Cool! Sometimes I do breathing exercises when I do my cold showers. I use do to a lot more meditation, but I am not keeping up with my practice. DamN!
Thanks for your comment. Breathing is imporant.. love meditation... only takes a few minute of your time if you are too busy.. maybe this post will get you started again.
I don't see why not ;)
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Nice techniques Amy! Always good to have different approaches to de-stressing :)
Great post and an important reminder of something so essential to our well-being.
Most westerners have forgotten how to breathe properly, and acquire bad breathing (and posture) habits over the years - which is why these kind of techniques have such immense value.
My own bugbear is an over-busy mind; I've found breathing techniques invaluable in helping to calm down that 'drunken monkey'. My own favourite is Wim Hoff's technique - so simple, but so powerful!