Deep breathing:

Get to a place or position where you feel most comfortable

Put your hand on your stomach

Inhale

Feel your stomach rise as you inhale

exhale through the mouth

Feel your stomach shrink as the air leaves

Repeat until you feel extremely relaxed.

Deep breathing helps you feel in the present and just slow everything down. Your heart rate calms down and oxygen supply to the brain increases. When you do this exercise and really focus on your breath and pay attention to the way your body works and moves as you take deep breaths, you really take your mind off everything that’s going on around you.

Calm breathing:

Inhale slowly through your nose, filling your chest with air.

Hold this air in your chest for a count of 3 seconds

Then exhale slowly emptying the air from your chest through your mouth

Hold the vacuum for a count of 3 seconds

This easy breathing exercise is great and can be used for many different things, like getting rid of built-up tension and if you want to let it go. It can be used for a moment to yourself to clear your mind or relax your muscles and body. This is one of my best that I use on a daily basis, it is a quick and easy way to get rid of any stress or feeling of tension that you have at the moment.

Calm count:

Go to a place or sitting position where you feel most comfortable

Inhale for a long deep breath and exhale very slowly.

Make sure your eyes are closed

Breathe in regularly for 10 breaths, as you exhale on each regular breath, count down from 10

As you take your 10 breaths, think about and notice any tension in your body and imagine melting away.

When you finish the countdown and reach one you can open your eyes

When you start adding your imagination to these exercises, that’s when you really stimulate the mind and body. This is great if you have a lot of tension in your body, just imagining all that tension melting away is so relaxing and calming for your body and mind.

The 4-7-8 breath

Take the tip of your tongue and touch it to the roof of your mouth.

Inhale through your nose counting to 4 seconds

Hold that breath on hold for a count of 7 seconds.

Exhale that breath counting to 8 seconds.

Repeat these steps 3-4 more times with no pause between each.

Then return to your normal breathing.

The 4-7-8 breathing technique is a great breathing technique to use if you have anxiety because it really clears your mind and only allows you to focus on those breath intervals. You are also getting rid of a lot of carbon dioxide with the longer exhalations.

Using all of these breathing techniques and having that relaxing music in the background is an amazing thing to add to your day. You can literally do this anytime and any day of the week, they are so good for you. One of these techniques could be the difference in your anger, anxiety, stress level, or just mindfulness. You can eliminate all of those things if you accept and let your body relax and really listen and do what it’s asking you to do. These really work and the way you feel afterward is just amazing. I never knew I could feel so relaxed. Sometimes I get really nervous and I just do a little breathing exercise and voila, I feel amazing.