Breathwork

Breathing Techniques to Improve Overall Well-being

Breathing is something we all do, it’s so natural we tend to not even think about it. In fact, most of us are so tuned out of our breathing that we can end up breathing inefficiently. So many of us have heard that breathing techniques can help with anxiety or stress, but not many of us know why. The good news is that we can easily gain awareness of our breathing, and learn breathing techniques to help bring us peace. In this blog I will discuss why we want to focus on breathing, what it can do for us, and offer a few simple breathing techniques.

The mind-body connection is very strong, and this is evident when we think about breathing. For example, many of us, when stressed, will begin hypoventilating or hyperventilating, which creates different responses in the body. Hyperventilating is when we take shallow, slow breaths, which can reduce the levels of oxygen in our blood and cause us to feel tired. Hyperventilating is when we take quick, deep breaths, this is often how we breathe during a panic attack, and it can make us feel lightheaded and increase heart rate. Hyperventilating and hyperventilating are thought of as defense mechanisms when our bodies to go into fight-or-flight mode. Fortunately, we can take control of our breathing and breathe in a way that tells our brains and bodies that we are safe and do not need to be in fight-or-flight.  

Practicing breathing techniques is helpful for so many reasons other than just during times of significant stress. Effective deep breathing can help to reduce stress, anxiety, blood pressure, and help us get more oxygen to the brain. Because deep breathing can help with relaxation, some find it particularly helpful when trying to fall asleep. The more we are aware of our breathing, the more in tune we become with our bodies, which can help us understand what we are feeling and how to manage those emotions. We can practice this by checking in throughout the day on how we’re breathing, and practicing breathing techniques. 

Below are a few breathing techniques that I find particularly useful and simple. The first one is diaphragmatic breathing, also called belly breathing, and gives us a better understanding of how breathing should feel. The second two are called 4-4-4 and 4-7-8 breathing, and these numbers refer to the amount of time inhaling, holding, and exhaling. I often recommend finding a gif that can a visual to the interval techniques, this can help us focus less on counting and more on our breathing. 

Diaphragmatic Breathing/ Belly Breathing:

The best way to start practicing belly breathing is to lie on the floor with one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach. Breath in through your nose, out through your mouth, and notice how your stomach, your diaphragm more specifically, is moving with your breath. We want the hand on our chest as still as possible, breathing only through our diaphragms. The more we practice this, the easier it becomes for us to naturally breathe effectvely through our diaphragm. 

4-4-4 Breathing/ Box Breathing:

Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds. Repeat this process for as long as you feel it is needed, often 5-10 minutes a day is recommended. 

4-7-8 Breathing:

Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, and exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds. This technique can be a little more difficult than box breathing, and can really help our bodies relax. This is a breathing technique where a gif that counts for you can be particularly helpful. A simpler version of this technique would be to breathe in for a count of 2, and exhale to a count of 4. 

Breathing is a major part of our daily lives, and it can have a profound impact on our emotional and physical responses. Creating understanding and awareness of our breathing is a great way to become more in tune with our bodies. By practicing breathing techniques we can have a better handle on our own emotions and feel more relaxed.

Happy breathing!