Anxious or feeling tired? Here are 3 simple breathing exercises you can practice anywhere, any time. In this 3 minute video, I will show you 3 different breathing techniques you can try next time you need to calm the body or give a boost of energy to your brain.
Breathing techniques are proven to increase calmness in the body and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. By slowing down our breath, we are "tricking" our brains to thinking it's already in a relaxed state.
1) The three-part Breath
Sometimes practiced at the start and throughout a yoga practice, this breath helps us to concentrate on breathing all the way down into our bellies, rather than taking shortened breath where the air stays in the lungs.
How to:
On the inhale, we breath deep into our lungs, belly expands;
Allow the breath to expand the ribs;
Lastly filling up the lungs;
On the exhale, we breath out completely.
Repeat at the start of practice, or whenever you need to increase breath awareness. Aim for 2-3 minutes of this breath cycle.
2) Alternate nostril breathing
This is a personal favourite of mine, and I have absolutely used this technique when my nerves were kicking in (preparing for public speaking, presenting to important stakeholders, or convincing myself sky-diving is a good idea). This breathing technique forces us to concentrate on each breath, and has a "cleansing" effect as we balance out our airways.
How to:
Sit comfortably with right hand out;
Index and Middle fingers bend;
Take right thumb and press over right nostril and inhale;
Close the left nostril with the right ring finger and suspend the breath;
Keep the ring finger over the left nostril and exhale through the right nostril;
Repeat by alternating left to right;
You can also increase the breathing and holding count by 2 each time (ie. breath in for 2, hold for 2, exhale for 2.... breath in for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4...working up to 8 counts)
Practice this at the end of a hatha or vinyasa practice to help slow down the body and breath. Aim for 6-10 cycles, slowing increasing the length of each breath cycle.
3) Bee's Breath
A fun exercise to try with kids as well. Bee's breath encourages focus by bringing in sound and vibration into the breath.
How to:
Sit comfortably;
Brining your fingers to the ears and elbows out to our sides;
Inhale through the nose fingers away from ears;
Exhale through the nose and hum softly while closing the ears.
Practice this at the start of practice to help calm the mind - reduce external distractions by tuning into the sounds of our breath. Helps to calm the body and bring focus.
Practice these on their own, or add them to the start / end of your yoga practice to help center the mind and body, promoting oxygen flow and stress relief.
Namaste,
Kathie
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