Breathing Techniques

Last week I discussed the importance of breathing properly (from the belly and not the chest) to receive the most healthy, stress-reducing, benefits.  One of the readers, Joanne M., requested that I expand upon this topic and provide some different techniques.  Great idea, thanks for the suggestion!

Here are a few techniques to try out for various needs you may have throughout the day:

For Deep Relaxation

• Lie on your back with arms and legs outstretched
• Begin to pay attention to your breathing rhythm, gradually allowing it to deepen
• Now take a slow, complete breath
• Inhale: Expand 1) abdomen, 2) middle chest, 3) upper chest
• Exhale: Contract 1) abdomen, 2) middle chest, 3) upper chest
• Repeat three times, using the exhale to release your body completely into the support of the floor

This technique is courtesy of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine.  
 

To Center Yourself and Focus

• Take three slow, deep breaths
• With the first breath focus on calming your mind
• With the second breath focus on calming your body
• With the third breath silently wish someone well, saying in your mind, “May (insert name here) be happy.”

This technique I learned from Marc Lesser, CEO of Search Inside Yourself.
 

For High Stress Situations

• Breathe in for a count of 4
• Hold for a count of 4
• Breathe out for a count of 8
• Hold for a count of 4
• Continue this process for several more breaths

This technique I learned from Emma Seppala who is from Stanford and Yale and author of the book The Happiness Track: How to Apply the Science of Happiness to Accelerate Your Success.
 

To Increase Love and Compassion

• Start with 2 minutes of resting your mind and focusing on your breath
• Consciously connect with the goodness inside yourself: your love, compassion, altruism, inner joy.  You may want to visualize your goodness radiating out of your body as a faint white light.  Focus on that image for a moment.
• When you breathe in, breathe all your goodness into your heart.  Use your heart to multiply that goodness by a factor of ten.  And when you breathe out, send all that goodness out to the whole world.  If you wish you may visualize yourself breathing out a brilliant white light representing this abundance of goodness.
• Continue this for 2-minutes
• Now connect with the goodness within everyone you know.  Everyone you know is a good person, possessing some goodness.  If you wish, you may visualize their goodness radiating out of their bodies as a faint white light.  When you breathe in, breathe all their goodness into your heart.  Once again, use your heart to multiply that goodness by a factor of ten.  And when you breathe out, send all that goodness out to the whole world. 
• Continue this for 2-minutes
• Finally, connect with the goodness within everybody in the world.  Everybody in the world possesses at least a hint of goodness.  As before, you may wish to visualize their goodness radiating out of their bodies as a faint white light.  When you breathe in, breathe all their goodness into your heart.  Use your heart to multiply that goodness by a factor of ten.  And when you breathe out, send all that goodness out to the whole world.   
• Continue this for 2-minutes
• End with one minute of resting your mind and focusing on your breath

This technique is from Chade-Meng Tan, author of the book Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success, Happiness (and World Peace).


Wishing you success in all aspects of life,
Tom Klisiewicz
Founder and President
Smart Health Wellness and Performance

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