Diaphramatic (Deep) Breathing
Calm Breathing- Diaphragmatic breathing
A tool that helps you slow down your breathing when you are feeling stressed or anxious. (newborn babies naturally breathe this way, as well as singers, wind instrument players, and yoga practitioners.)
Sitting upright helps you to increase the capacity of your lungs to fill with air.
It is best to take the weight off of your shoulders by supporting your arms on the side-arms of a chair, or on your lap.
A tool that helps you slow down your breathing when you are feeling stressed or anxious. (newborn babies naturally breathe this way, as well as singers, wind instrument players, and yoga practitioners.)
Sitting upright helps you to increase the capacity of your lungs to fill with air.
It is best to take the weight off of your shoulders by supporting your arms on the side-arms of a chair, or on your lap.
- take a slow breath- in through the nose, breathing into your lower belly
- Hold your breathe for 1 or 2 seconds
- Exhale slowly through the mouth (for about 4 seconds)
- Wait a few seconds before taking another breathe.
- About 6-8 breathing cycles per minute is often helpful to decrease anxiety, but you must find your own comfortable breathing rhythm. These cycles regulate the amount of oxygen you take in so that you do not experience fainting, tingling, and giddy sensations that are sometimes associated with over-breathing.
- Try calm breathing for at least five minutes twice a day.
- You do not need to feel anxious, stressed to practice- in fact, at first you may practice while feeling relatively calm. * you need to be comfortable breathing this way when feeling calm, before you feel comfortable utilizing this type of breathing when you are stressed.
- You will gradually feel more and more comfortable with this skill and go in to calm breathing easily when you are stressed.