Stress is raging in your body, you feel overwhelmed, you don’t know what to do, and you slowly start panicking. So, how can you get rid of stress in this situation? Through breath-work! No, I’m not talking about doing meditations, something most people don’t understand. I’m talking about breathing exercises, which are scientifically proven to calm your body down. Breathwork offers a powerful solution, to help you regain your composure and tranquility almost instantly. By learning and practicing specific breathing techniques, you can manage stress, enhance focus,get better sleep, and promote overall well-being. Let’s breathe in and find out the best ways to calm you and your body down.
Disclaimer: Breathing techniques aren’t a substitute for medical treatment. Always talk with your doctor before beginning any breathing practice, especially if you have any medical concerns or conditions.
Table of Contents
What is breathwork?
Breathwork is a variety of exercises designed to enhance the way you breathe, which can positively impact your emotional and physical health. These techniques involve consciously regulating your breath to influence your body’s stress response and mental state.
Breathwork sounds like something meditative and vague. However, it is scientifaclly proven to be really beneficial for you and your health, mentally and physically. Don’t see it as a meditation, but really just as an exercise.
Breathwork isn’t just about deep breathing; it’s about using specific patterns and rhythms to harness the power of your breath for relaxation and well-being.
Benefits of breathwork
Breathwork is a vital tool for managing stress and improving overall health. When practiced regularly, it helps:
- Reduce stress and anxiety: Controlled breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and lowering cortisol levels.
- Improve focus and mental clarity: Better oxygenation from proper breathing enhances cognitive function and concentration.
- Enhance emotional regulation: Breathwork helps manage emotional responses, leading to greater emotional stability.
- Boost physical health: Regular practice improves lung capacity, supports cardiovascular health, and increases overall vitality.
5 Scientifically proven breathwork techniques: get rid of stress
Technique: Also known as abdominal or belly breathing, this technique involves breathing deeply into your diaphragm rather than your chest. Inhale slowly through your nose, letting your abdomen rise, then exhale gently through your mouth.
Why it works: Diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps to reduce stress and promote relaxation by slowing down your heart rate and lowering blood pressure. It also improves muscle function during exercises and prevents strain. It increases the oxygen level in your blood. It helps your body release gas waste from your lungs.
How to practice: Sit or lie down comfortably. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen or lay both your hands on you abdomen. Breathe in deeply through your nose, feeling your abdomen rise (more than your chest). Exhale slowly and completely. Repeat for 5-10 minutes.
Technique: Box breathing involves a rhythmic pattern of inhaling, holding, exhaling, and holding your breath, each for a count of four.
Why it works: This technique helps to stabilize the autonomic nervous system and shift your focus away from stressors, promoting a sense of calm and clarity. It can heighten your performance and concentration. Box breathing can also help you falling asleep and getting deep sleep.
How to practice: Find a comfortable seated position. Inhale through your nose for a count of four, hold your breath for four counts, exhale through your mouth for four counts, and hold again for four counts. Repeat the cycle for a few minutes.
Technique: This technique involves inhaling for a count of four, holding the breath for a count of seven, and exhaling slowly for a count of eight.
Why it works: The 4-7-8 breathing pattern helps to calm the nervous system and promotes relaxation by extending the exhalation phase, which encourages deeper relaxation and a sense of tranquility.
How to practice: Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. First, let your lips part. Make a whooshing sound, exhaling completely through your mouth. Next, close your lips, inhaling silently through your nose as you count to four in your head. Then, for seven seconds, hold your breath. Make another whooshing exhale from your mouth for eight seconds. Repeat the cycle up to four times.
Technique: This method involves taking 30-40 deep breaths (inhale fully, exhale partially) followed by a breath hold. After the hold, take a deep recovery breath.
Why it works: Wim Hof breathing increases oxygen levels in the blood and stimulates the autonomic nervous system, which can enhance energy levels and reduce stress. It can also improve your immunity and your sleep.
How to practice: Sit or lie down comfortably. Breathe deeply and rapidly through your nose or mouth for 30-40 breaths. After the last breath, hold your breath for as long as comfortable, then inhale deeply and hold for 10-15 seconds before exhaling. Repeat the cycle for a few rounds.
Technique: Alternate nostril breathing (comes from yoga) involves closing one nostril with your thumb, inhaling through the other nostril, then switching nostrils to exhale through the opposite side. Repeat the process, alternating nostrils.
Why it works: This technique could balance the nervous system and enhance mental clarity by harmonizing the left and right sides of the brain, which could help reduce anxiety and improve focus.
How to practice according to Healthline:
- Sit in a comfortable position with legs crossed.
- Place left hand on left knee.
- Lift right hand up toward nose.
- Exhale completely and then use right thumb to close right nostril.
- Inhale through left nostril and then close left nostril with your fingers.
- Open right nostril and exhale through this side.
- Inhale through right nostril and then close this nostril.
- Open left nostril and exhale through left side.
- This is one cycle.
- Continue for up to 5 minutes.
- Always complete the practice by finishing with an exhale on the left side.
My breathwork
Well, this is quite a good list to start with. I tried all these methods and what I found was that for me the Diaphragmatic Breathing and the Box Breathing help me the best.
I have been doing the belly breathing since I was young, this has helped me since with relieving pain, stress and other discomforts. Just lay your hand on your belly and breath towards your belly. This is what my mom taught me.
I implemented these breathing exercises before I go to bed, these help me relieve anxiety and stress. They also help me fall asleep and create better overall sleep.
Whenever I feel very stressed I use the method I describe below to feel better instantly. This has helped me so much and it can also help you if you do it in the right way.
How to feel calm INSTANTLY: get rid of stress
Whenever I’m in a stressed situation or I feel overwhelmed I use this one particular exercise: The Psychology Sigh. Andrew Huberman provided me with this knowledge.
You can do this anytime, anywhere, you don’t need to sit down especially, you can do it standing up, laying down, or sitting.
Basically, you take a deep breath in through your nose, with which you expand your diaphragm (belly). Then you inhale a second time – this one will be short and it will not expand your diaphragm as much. Lastly, you breathe out very slowly through your mouth, you release all the air and you let go of the stress.
You can repeat this 2/3 times up until you feel your stress leaving your body. This exercise has many benefits to it.
Want to learn more? Watch this short video.
How and when to implement breathwork
Getting started: Begin with one or two techniques that resonate with you. Practice them for a few minutes each day to experience their calming effects and benefits. No special equipment is needed—just a quiet space where you can focus.
Frequency: Incorporate breathwork into your daily routine. Practicing for just a few minutes each day or several times a week can help you manage stress and maintain emotional balance.
When to practice: Use breathwork techniques whenever you feel stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed. They can also be part of your morning routine to start the day with a sense of calm, or as a pre-sleep ritual to enhance relaxation and improve sleep quality.
Is breathwork safe for everyone?
For most people, breathwork is safe and beneficial. However, if you have severe respiratory issues, cardiovascular problems, or other health conditions, consult a healthcare professional before starting any breathwork practice.
Disclaimer: Breathing techniques aren’t a substitute for medical treatment. Always talk with your doctor before beginning any breathing practice, especially if you have any medical concerns or conditions.
Getting started with breathwork
To begin, explore simple techniques like diaphragmatic breathing or box breathing, these are easy to learn and to integrate into your life. There are many resources available, including online videos, apps, and books, that offer guided instructions and support as you integrate breathwork into your life.
I recommend you try these exercises before you go to bed to help you fall asleep or in the morning before you start your busy day to experience more calm during the day.
When you first try out these exercises, you should do it in a safe, calm, quiet setting where you’ve got the psace to do the exercises comfortably.
DON’T try doing these in your car while driving or at other moments when you should be paying attention or in any other situation in which you can create danger.
By incorporating breathwork into your daily routine, you can enhance your mental and physical health, manage stress more effectively, and achieve a state of calmness and balance in your life.
Breathwork is a simple yet effective tool for achieving instant calm and improving overall well-being. By practicing techniques like diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing, alternate nostril breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, and Wim Hof breathing, you can manage stress more effectively and enhance your emotional and physical health. To relieve your stress instantly try the physiological sigh. Start incorporating these techniques into your daily routine and experience the profound benefits of breathwork for yourself.
With love,
CECA
C’est ca ~ That’s it
WATCH LIST
- Diaphragmatic Breathing | UCLA Integrative Digestive Health and Wellness Program
- Wim Hof: They’re Lying To You About Disease & Inflammation!
- Box breathing relaxation technique: how to calm feelings of stress or anxiety
- Yoga Breathing | Alternate Nostril Breathing
- Wim Hof’s Top 10 reasons to take cold showers & ice baths 🧊
