3 Breathing Techniques to Help Combat Stress
Don’t underestimate the power of breathwork
As cliché as it sounds, I didn’t find breathwork; it found me. I sought out yoga—the more powerful and challenging the practice, the better. My brain had to be a hundred percent focused on the movement. I didn’t want time to think between poses. If my muscles didn’t hurt the next day, if I found time to think, the class wasn’t hard enough.
I avoided anything too slow, especially Yin practices and meditation. Both left me with too much time to think. Though you’re supposed to focus on your breathing, I didn’t know enough about breathwork to make it through an hour or more of holding Yin postures, let alone sitting completely still in silence. Lean into my discomfort? No, thank you. Then I attended an Akhanda (i.e., holistic Hatha) class, and after a few months, my perspective changed. I’m not going to lie to you and say it happened overnight. It took time and the right teacher.
After many pranayama classes, I was in love. Breathwork classes became my new favourite. My new go-to practice. Now, I can feel my breathing shift. It’s different when I’m scrolling through Twitter or find myself in any stress-inducing situation. I breathe deeper. I turn to the techniques I learned in class, a few of which I’ll share because I think they could benefit everyone.
Beginner: Diaphragmatic Breathing
As technical as it sounds, diaphragmatic breathing, also called belly breathing, is pretty simple.
The method
To start, sit or lie down, whichever position makes you feel more comfortable. You want to be able to relax your whole body. Put one hand on your chest and the other just below your ribs. Take a deep breath through your nose into your belly, slow and easy. Don’t strain. Only the hand below your ribcage should lift. The hand on your chest shouldn’t move at all. Exhale slowly through your mouth, keeping your lips reasonably close together. Repeat at least ten times.
I like saying inhale and exhale in my head, then the number after my exhale. For example, inhale, exhale, one; inhale, exhale, two. When I get to ten, I always start at one again. You could also set a timer for between two…
