“A healthy mind has an easy breath.”
Our breath is the most vital component of life, yet we hardly pay conscious attention to it. Have you noticed that when you’re stressed or anxious, your breathing becomes shallow and labored? Anxiety is one of the leading causes of difficulty in breathing. If you’ve been experiencing breathing problems, don’t worry! A great way to manage stress and anxiety is through breathing exercises. Let’s learn about eight breathing exercises for stress that you can try whenever you feel anxious.
Top 8 Breathing Exercises and Their Benefits
According to a recent report, India contributes to almost 15.69% of global chronic respiratory diseases. Along with asthma, allergies, and anxiety, a person’s lifestyle can significantly contribute to breathing difficulties. Breathing exercises can be very effective in combating respiratory disorders and managing anxiety and stress. Here are the top eight breathing exercises that you can try.
1. Deep Breathing
This is one of the simplest breathing exercises for anxiety, aimed at helping you take longer and fuller breaths. You can do this sitting or lying down. Simply take a deep breath in and slowly exhale through your nose.
Benefits
- Easy to do and very effective
- Allows you to relax completely
2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation
As the name suggests, this breathing exercise for stress involves tensing a particular muscle group as you breathe in and relaxing them as you breathe out. Start from your feet and slowly go all the way up until all your muscles relax.
Benefits
- Provides physical and mental relaxation
- Directs your attention to each muscle group in the body
3. Anulom Vilom (Nadi Shodhan Pranayama)
This breathing exercise for stress, also called alternate nostril breathing, involves covering the right nostril with your thumb as you inhale through your left nostril. Then place your ring finger on your left nostril, release the thumb, and breathe out from the right nostril. Repeat this cycle a few times until you feel relaxed. Watch this video to experience the magic of this breathing technique.
Benefits
- Lowers heart rate
- Has a calming effect on the mind and body
4. Pursed Lip Breathing
This simple breathing exercise for anxiety can be practiced by anyone, at any time during the day. Sit in a comfortable position and inhale for two counts through your nose. Then, pucker your lips and exhale for four counts. This exercise helps you take focused breaths and has a calming effect in moments of anxiety. If you face breathing problems and are looking to make breathing exercises a part of your routine, this one can be a good starting point.
Benefits
- Very effective in managing anxiety
- Helpful for people who face difficulty breathing
5. Humming Bee Breathing (Bhramari)
This simple breathing exercise can help relieve stress while you’re performing day-to-day activities. The goal is to focus on the exhalation while making a humming sound. The audible sound you make while humming causes your vocal cords to vibrate, activating the vagus nerve. Watch this video to practice Bhramari breathing technique with Ami Patel.
Benefits
- This can be done while performing other activities
- Moves the body into the parasympathetic nervous system state, inducing relaxation
6. Diaphragmatic Breathing
The onset of an anxiety attack is usually marked by difficulty breathing. If you ever face such a situation, breathing from the diaphragm can help you relax. Studies have shown that this breathing exercise is especially helpful for those who have difficulty breathing. Sit or lie down in a comfortable place. Place one hand on your heart and the other just below your rib cage. Take a deep breath through your nose and slowly exhale through your mouth. Notice the movement of the abdominal muscles as you exhale.
Benefits
- Effective for those dealing with breathing problems
- Helps with challenges stemming from other health conditions such as heart disease, constipation, and eating disorders
7. Lion’s Breath
This yogic breathing exercise involves imagining that you are a lion. First, take a deep breath through your nose. Stick out your tongue and exhale with your mouth wide open, making a ‘Ha’ sound. This is a very effective breathing exercise for stress, as it helps you get out of your fight-or-flight mode.
Benefits
- Relaxes tension in your jaw and facial muscles
- Can help deal with social anxiety and boost confidence
8. Breath Focus Technique
In this technique, you associate a focus word or image with your breath. Choose any word, image, or phrase that makes you feel good. While breathing, simply use the focus word to anchor your awareness to your breath.
Benefits
- Helps keep distractions at bay by anchoring full focus on the breath
- Makes you more aware of your breathing
The breath is a powerful resource that each of us can utilize to experience peace and harmony. We have various free breathing exercise videos available on our website. Additionally, our experts at SoulSensei provide in-depth guidance for those seeking to relieve stress and foster a deeper connection with their consciousness. Do get in touch with us for further support.
Sources
- Ankrom, Sheryl. “Need a Breather? Try These 9 Breathing Exercises to Relieve Anxiety.” Verywell Mind, Dotdash Meredith, 16 Feb. 2024.
- “Breathing Exercises for COPD.” UM BWMG – Pulmonary Care | UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center, UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center.
- “Breathing Exercises.” American Lung Association, American Lung Association, 7 June 2024.
- Cronkleton, Emily. “10 Breathing Exercises to Try When You’re Feeling Stressed.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 17 May 2024.
- Fowler, Paige. “Breathing Techniques for Stress Relief.” WebMD, WebMD LLC, 5 Mar. 2024.
- “India.” IPCRG, International Primary Care Respiratory Group, 28 Oct. 2022.
- “King of the Jungle: How To Practice Lion’s Breath (and Why It’s Good for You).” Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, 2 July 2024.
- Landry, John. “99+ Best Quotes About Breathing (Respiratory Edition).” Respiratory Therapy Zone, Respiratory Therapy Zone, 6 May 2024.
- Nomad Yoga. “THIS SIMPLE BREATH PRACTICE IS SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN TO CALM YOUR MIND.” The Nomadic Yogi, The Nomadic Yogi.
- “Relaxation Techniques: Breath Control Helps Quell Errant Stress Response.” Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School, 6 July 2020.
