4 mindful breathing exercises

About the ONLY thing on people’s minds right now is the Coronavirus.

Our world is, indeed, having a crisis and there will be more suffering ahead. Perhaps even a lot of suffering.

It’s an incredibly tough time. No way around that.

And honestly, I have no idea what’s going to happen, how long this will last, or when things will return to normal.

I’m not here to tell you “everything will turn out fine.”

My heart goes out to everyone impacted by this pandemic and I pray you are keeping safe and being smart.

But, here’s what I DO know…

Many of us are going to be spending a lot more time in our homes.

And as boring as it may be, it presents us with an opportunity to learn new skills.

Now if you’ve ever read articles on the Hack Spirit blog, you know that I think meditation is an incredible skill worth learning.

Especially when you’re constantly feeling stressed and panicked.

Meditation has taught me how to accept my emotions and improve my focus. (Check out my story here on how learning eastern philosophy changed my life).

Scientists have even discovered that regular meditation can lower your stress levels and improve your quality of sleep.

The question is: How can you learn to meditate and calm yourself down?

It’s easier than you think.

Generally, the most efficient and easiest meditation techniques are breathing exercises.

Why?

Because when the body is stressed it moves into fight or flight mode.

While this helps us deal with situations that require quick action, it causes problems when the response is provoked continuously by day-to-day events, such as money issues or relationship woes.

By using breathing techniques, it tricks the body into relaxing. 

According to Live Strong, this is because breathing slowly “activates the hypothalamus”, which is connected to the pituitary gland in the brain that then sends out neurohormones that inhibit stress-producing hormones and trigger a relaxation response in the body.

So without further ado, here are 4 breathing exercises that have been proven to help people calm down:

1. Ruda lande’s self-guided meditation

I recently came across a set of breathwork techniques by world renowned shaman Ruda lande. Learning them has increased my energy, self-confidence and emotional wellbeing.

For a limited time, Ruda is teaching a powerful self-guided meditation focusing on your breathing. And it’s completely free.

Please check it out here.

Ruda Iande is not your typical shaman. While he does many things that shamans do, like bang his drums and spend time with indigenous Amazon tribes, he’s different in an important respect.

Ruda is making shamanism relevant for the modern world.

If you want to boost your health and vitality in a totally natural way, Ruda’s breathwork class is an excellent place to start. It’s 100% free and there are no strings attached.

Here’s a link to his class again.

2. Equal Breathing

How it’s done:

This is actually what got me started with meditation in the first place, and I still use it to this day!

To do this breathing technique, firstly inhale through the nose to a count of 4, then exhale from the nose for a count of 4.

If you’re the type who likes to improve at something constantly, then over time you can increase the number seconds you inhale and exhale for. Just make sure it’s equal.

Yogis generally do 6-8 counts per breath. This will help to calm the nervous system and reduce stress.

Remember, the main goal of this technique is to equalize your breathing.

When should you use it? This is a brilliant technique because you can pretty much do it anywhere and anytime that you feel stressed. It’s also an excellent technique to do before you sleep.

This breathing technique is generally the first technique taught to beginners. It’s easy to explain, simple to do and most importantly, it helps most people relax.

In fact, this study found that mindful equal breathing helped university students reduce anxiety before undertaking a test.

As you become more experienced, you’ll feel more comfortable increasing your inhales and exhales, which will make you even more relaxed.

3. Progressive Relaxation

How it’s done: This is a two-step process.

First, you take a big deep breath in and tense a particular part of your body, such as your hand. After holding that tension for 5 seconds,  release the tension and exhale your breath.

As you’re doing the 2nd step, you should feel the muscles become loose and limp as the tension flows out.

According to the experts, it’s best to breathe in through the nose, and out through the mouth.

There’s an added benefit to this technique:

It increases your awareness of the sensations associated with tension and as a result, helps you identify when you’re feeling stressed.

A number of studies have found that regularly practicing progressive muscle relaxation may help you keep your stress in check.

When should you use it? You can use this anywhere. However it requires slightly more concentration than Equal Breathing, so definitely don’t do this while you’re driving!

Also, if you find you’re hurting your muscles while tensing, then tone it down a bit. Hurting your muscles is not the goal.

4. Alternate Nostril Breathing

How it’s done: I’m sure you can guess what this technique involves from the title.

To practice, hold the left thumb over the left nostril and inhale deeply through the right nostril.

At the peak of inhalation, close off the right nostril with the ring finger, then exhale through the left nostril.

When should you use it? According to Yogis, this technique makes you feel more centered and tends to wake you up.

So this is a great one to use before an important meeting or to get your day off to a great start.

Alternate nostril breathing has quite a long history in Ayurvedic medicine.

They believed that it harmonized the two sides of the brain, resulting in mental and emotional balance.

Here are what some studies have found:

1) It activates the parasympathetic nervous system.
2) It enhances respiratory functions, such as breathing strength and endurance.
3) It improves attention and motor performance.

If you want to learn more practical mindful techniques that can calm you down and improve your state of mind during these tough times, check out my book: The Art of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Living in the Moment.

This book is an easy-to-follow introduction to the life-changing power of the mindfulness phenomenon.

In it, you’ll uncover a set of simple, yet powerful techniques to elevate your life by the steady practice of mindfulness.

Check it out here.