A Breathing Exercise to Reduce Anxiety

Reclaim your calm

Your heart’s beating fast You can’t think straight Your chest feels tight Everything is moving so fast… including your breath In, out, in, out… Faster and faster

You’re likely very familiar with this situation. Especially in modern civilization where anxiety is constantly on the rise. There’s very little that’s actually threatening our lives, but at the same time, it feels like the weight of the world is on our shoulders.

It slowly begins to overwhelm you and tries to swallow you whole.

When this rising sensation of anxiety threatens to engulf you, it can easily feel like there's no escape — anywhere you run, it’s there waiting.

Living today seems to become less about living stress-free, and more about finding ways to handle it. Whether that’s the case or not, there is respite to be found when you’re in the thick of it all. Because you have a handy tool that’s always with you…

Your Breath.

Breathwork as a whole has been having a resurgence of popularity as of late, but it has been a tool we humans have been using for as long as we have existed.

Many still underestimate its potency as a tool for thriving, though.

But I assure you, it is so much more than a simple intake of oxygen.

With that being said, Try this practice out next time you’re feeling anxious, stressed, or panicked:

Breathwork for Anxiety

First and foremost, if you’re anxious or stressed you’re likely breathing too fast. Fast breathing, as well as breathing through the mouth and into the chest, activates your ‘fight or flight’ response and quickens your heart rate — exacerbating the problem.

So the first thing you need to do is regain control of your breathing.

1. Inhale through the nose and into the diaphragm/belly for a count of 3.
2. Now through the nose slowly for a count of 3.
3. Repeat for a few rounds.
4. Now lengthen the inhales and exhales to 4 seconds.
5. Repeat for a few rounds.
6. Now for 5 seconds on both.
7. Repeat.

Once you can slow your breathing down to around 5–6 second inhales and exhales, it’s time to activate your ‘Rest and Digest’ response. This is done by gently extending our exhales and even pausing before inhaling if comfortable.

1. Inhale for 5 seconds through the nose and into the diaphragm.
2. Exhale through the mouth with a gentle sigh for around 10 seconds.
3. If you feel like you can, pause for a moment before inhaling.
4. Repeat as needed.
5. Experiment with rubbing your hands together or massaging the sides of your head next to your eyes when exhaling.

And that’s it!

This is only one of countless ways/uses of practicing breathwork. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

It’s also worth noting that you don’t have to be stressed or anxious to use this, maybe you just want to feel calm or relaxed for a moment.

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