Deep Breathing exercise To Relieve Stress And Relaxation

Deep Breathing exercise

Have you noticed how a slow, deep breath can relax your mind and body? Many of us take a deep breath without thinking when we feel tired or tense.

If you are feeling stressed by work or daily problems, breathing exercises are a simple tool you can try anywhere. They are not a treatment for depression or an anxiety disorder, so talk with a health care provider if low mood or worry lasts.

Stress may be because of many reasons and everyone deals with stress in different ways. Some prefer to pursue their hobbies, some get social support while others find relief in yoga and exercise.

Deep Breathing exercise is a useful tool to help you relax. Slow breathing can help calm the body's stress response, which includes a faster heart rate and quick, shallow breathing.

The evidence is promising but still limited. NCCIH notes that early studies suggest diaphragmatic breathing may reduce stress, though much of the research is low quality.

In this article, we share some breathing exercises for stress management and relaxation. Try a few and see which works best for you.

Deep Breathing exercise

1. Belly Breathing

The first deep breathing exercise is belly breathing. It is the base for the other exercises, so start here if you are new to them. Here are the steps:

Deep Breathing exercise

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Make yourself comfortable by lying on your back or sitting on a sofa, chair or bed.
Now put your one hand on the belly and another hand on your chest.
Breathe in slowly through your nose and let your belly fill with air.
Now breathe out slowly through your mouth (or your nose, if that feels better).

As you breathe in, you feel the hand on your belly rise. When you breathe out, you feel your belly lower. The hand on your belly should move more than the hand on your chest.

Repeat this deep breathing exercise for several breaths. Health libraries suggest building up to about 10 minutes, 3 or 4 times a day.

2. 4-7-8 breathing

The next deep breathing exercise is 4-7-8 breathing. It uses belly breathing, and you can do it sitting upright or lying on your back. Here are the steps:

Deep Breathing exercise

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Put one hand on your belly and the other on your chest.
Breathe out completely through your mouth.
Breathe in slowly through your nose into your belly while silently counting to 4.
Hold your breath while counting to 7.
Breathe out completely through your mouth while counting to 8. Try to get all the air out by the time you reach 8.
Repeat the cycle 3 to 4 times.
Notice any change in how tense you feel.

Feeling a little lightheaded at first is common and should pass. If it does not, return to normal breathing.

3. Roll breathing

The next deep breathing exercise is roll breathing. It helps you use your full lungs and focus on the rhythm of your breathing. You can do it in any position, but it is easiest to learn lying on your back with your knees bent. Roll breathing has two steps.

Deep Breathing exercise

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In step, one put your left hand on your belly and right hand on your chest. Now breathe in through your nose to fill just your lower lungs. As you do this, your belly will start to push your left hand up. Your right hand won’t move and stay still. Now breathe out slowly through your mouth and make a whooshing sound as you breathe out. Your hand will start falling as your belly falls. Do this 8 to 10 times.
When you have followed the above step after that add the second step to your exercise. Inhale first into your lower lungs as you did before, but don’t stop after your left hand is pushed up and then continue inhaling into your upper chest. As you’re breathing in, feel your right-hand rise as your left hand begins to fall. Once you’ve filled your lungs, breathe out slowly as you did before. As you exhale through your mouth, make a quiet, whooshing sound as first your left hand and then your right-hand fall. As you exhale, you feel the tension leaving your body as you become more and more relaxed. Do this for 3 to 5 minutes. If you start breathing too fast or feel lightheaded, slow down and get up slowly.

4. Morning breathing

Deep Breathing exercise

Try this when you first get up in the morning to ease muscle stiffness. You can also use it during the day to relieve back tension.

Stand straight, bend forward from the waist with your knees slightly bent, letting your arms dangle close to the floor.
As you inhale slowly and deeply, return to a standing position by rolling up slowing, lifting your head last.
Hold your breath for just a few seconds in this standing position.
Exhale slowly as you return to the original position, bending forward from the waist.
Repeat a few times and notice how you feel.

Deep Breathing exercises for relaxing and stress management

Practice these exercises every day for several weeks. Once you are comfortable, you will be able to do them almost anywhere.

BREATH COUNTING

Breath counting is a simple and easy breathing exercise.

For this exercise sit in a comfortable position with your back straight and head inclined slightly forward. Close your eyes and take some deep breaths. Then let the breath come naturally without trying to force it.

Begin the exercise by counting "one" as you exhale.
Count "two" on the next exhale, and so on up to "five."
After that begin a new cycle, counting “one” on the next exhalation.
Never count more than “five,” and count only when you exhale. You will know your attention has diverted when you find yourself up to “eight” or more. Try to do this breathing exercise for 10 minutes.

If you have ongoing breathing problems, such as shortness of breath, see a health care provider. You can also read this:

HP Thoughts: Long-term stress can wear you down without you noticing. What causes stress, anyway? We have a post discussing this: Why Are We Stressed And How Do We Manage It?