Your most powerful tool for stress

Since it’s pretty safe to assume we’re all a little stressed right now, whether it’s from checking things off your holiday to-do list or just trying to stay on top of all that’s going on in the world, I thought it would be a great time to revisit one of the most basic things we can do to reduce our stress. It’s SO good because it’s totally free, you can do it anywhere, and no one even needs to know you’re doing it! It’s also the most basic of all human activities - breathing. 

I’m going to save you the sciencey talk and just jump right into it. All I will say is that your breath is your life force. Never underestimate its power! Those who can harness it for good benefit immensely!

Today, we’re going to take a look at four different breathing techniques that you can do any time, any place. I would encourage you to spend a little time with each technique and find which one or two work best for you. No need to do them all! Just find what feels best for you. In fact, you can even teach these techniques to your friends and family. I would definitely challenge you to teach them to your kiddos! Kids these days are under an extraordinary amount of stress. Everything we’re dealing with as adults, they’re dealing with too, but without the coping mechanisms and life experience we have developed to keep us sane. Oooooo…..this might be a really cool workshop…..

Slow Breathing

This is the most basic of the techniques and one I use often. This exercise is an expansion of what our normal breathing is like, with a mindful touch and some slowing down. An important point with this technique is the addition of focusing on the abdomen. When we get worked up and anxious, many times we will take shallow, quick breaths that come from the chest. But that is only adding to our stress from a physiological standpoint. Instead, you want to be breathing from your abdomen, also called “belly breathing”. Imagine you are taking the air in through your nose, down your spine, and all the way to your tailbone before exhaling it through the same passage. How do you check if you’re belly breathing? Put your hand on your belly and breathe. If your hand goes up and down, you’re belly breathing. But if it’s not, your chest is probably going up and down instead. That’s the shallow breathing we’re trying to get away from. Now back to the technique….

How to do it: Breathe in slowly through your nose, feeling your abdomen expand with your breath. Pause, and exhale through your mouth slowly. Repeat this process for as long as feels natural. 

Balanced Breath

The balanced breathing technique focuses on controlled breath movement to help calm your nervous system and feel an overall sense of calm. As soon as you start to feel stress coming on, get started with it! This technique comes in handy while driving through rush hour traffic, standing in line at the grocery store, or any other time you feel stressed but can’t completely stop what you’re doing.

How to do it: Inhale for a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 4, and then exhale for a count of 4. Do this for four rounds total. You can explore how many repetitions feel best to you.

4-7-8 Technique

I love this one! Although I will admit, it does take a little bit of practice! Especially if you’ve used the balanced breath technique above for a while. It can be hard to switch up the length of your inhales and exhales. But I have found that that is actually why I love this technique so much! It forces me to really focus on my breathing and counting. And if I’m focusing that much on my breath, I’m not able to focus on whatever was stressing me out. See how that works!

The 4-7-8 breathing technique is also known as “relaxing breath”. This breathing pattern aims to reduce anxiety. Others claim that this method is an excellent tool in assisting them in falling asleep quickly.

How to do it: Take a deep breath and inhale for 4 seconds. Hold your breath for 7 seconds. Exhale for 8 seconds. You can repeat this for 2-4 rounds. 

Alternate Nostril

Let me warn you, this one may look kinda funny to others when you’re doing it, but it really does help! Alternate nostril breathing can help calm the nervous system, lower anxiety, and promote quality sleep. You can do this exercise anywhere and anytime you need a quick reset. 

How to do it: With the alternate nostril technique, you’ll use a slow breathing technique through one nostril at a time. Block off one nostril as you slowly breathe in and out, then alternate nostrils.

Great! Now you are armed with a few breathing techniques to help you when you’re stressed. Anyone else excited to give some of these a try?! Remember, these techniques can also be used during meditation, restorative yoga, when trying to fall asleep or other activities when you want to be present and connect to your body.

Let me know which ones you try and how they work for you!

Peace, love & kale!

Lindsay