Quick and Effective Breathwork Exercises
By Susan Waters
August 2, 2023
We all have moments that catch us off guard. We might react in ways that are not constructive and possibly even regrettable. So, it is beneficial to have tools at our fingertips that can help us navigate unexpected and unwanted situations.
Intentional breathing exercises can regulate our fight / flight / flee / freeze systems and slow down our reaction time to allow us to regain our composure. Instead of reacting unconsciously, we can center ourselves and move forward more mindfully.
Here are a couple suggestions about how to use breath work to regulate our systems.
Calming our minds and centering with box breathing (4 / 4 / 4 / 4 breath)
When our minds are racing in an unproductive way, we can get caught in negativity and frustration. These endless thought loops can leave us feeling mentally exhausted. Being aware these unconscious thought patterns is the first step in training ourselves to be more conscious, deliberate and effective.
When you catch yourself with runaway thoughts or want to reset between tasks:
- Pause and take a moment to recognize what is happening
- Breathe in through the nose to a count to 4
- Pause for a count of 4
- Breathe out through the nose to a count of 4
- Pause for 4
- Repeat a few times and you will feel calmer and more centered. And it took less than a minute.
Regulate flared emotions with psychological sigh (fast in / slow out breath)
It's a familiar moment. Someone cuts us off in traffic. A comment lands harshly. Or a frustrating obstacle comes out of nowhere. A flash of emotion can trigger an unconscious and undesirable reaction, ruining our own day as well as everyone else’s. Instead, pause and choose a calming fast in / slow out breath.
- Pause and take a moment to recognize what is happening
- Take a quick nasal breath in to a count of 2
- Take a long, slow exhale through the mouth
- Repeat for a few rounds until your heart rate slows and you feel calmer. This lets our body chemistry settle down and lets us choose how, or if, we react. A quick easy way to reset.
Soothing anxiety with calming breath (4/7/8 breathing)
Modern society has made most of us anxious, and for good reason. But chronic anxiety can deteriorate our health and well-being.
Breathing exercises are not a solution for a severe anxiety problem, but for transient anxiety, breathing can help us restore our balance and focus.
- Take a nasal breath in to a count of 4
- Hold it for a count of 7
- Let it out slowly through the mouth to a count of 8
- Continue for a few more rounds until your body feels more settled, your mind slows and you feel calmer
Regulate emotions with alternate nostril breathing
This is a good, all around exercise to regulate our entire system.
- Take a deep nasal breath in and out
- Place your index and middle fingers between the eyebrows
- Pinch off your right nostril with your thumb and breathe in slowly through the left nostril
- Pinch both nostrils for a brief moment with thumb and ring fingers
- Unpinch the right nostril and breathe out slowly
- Breathe in through the right nostril
- Pinch off both nostrils for a pause
- Breathe out through the left
- This is one round. Repeat, breathing in through the left, pinching, and out through the right. In through the right, pinch, and out through the left. Continue for a few more rounds until your body feels more settled, your mind slows and you feel calmer.
Copyright 2023 Susan Waters, Waters Wellness LLC
SusanWatersWellness.com
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