We’ve all heard of breathwork, but have you ever actually tried it? Simply put, breathwork is the practice of taking your breath from an unconscious to a conscious state. Whether you want to kick off your day right, calm your anxiety, or slow down panic, we have the best breathwork techniques for you.
To start your day
If you can function for a few minutes before you get your day going, 10 minutes of Wim Hof breathing is the perfect way to kick off your day. This will increase your energy levels, alkalize the pH level in your blood, speed up your metabolism, and push toxins out of your body – all before you get out of bed.
How to:
- Laying down, close your eyes and breathe in and out of your mouth.
- As you inhale, push your belly button outwards to encourage diaphragmatic breathing.
- Inhale and exhale 20 to 40 times, and then hold your breath for 30 seconds.
- After 30 seconds, take one more big inhale, and hold your breath again for 15 seconds.
- Repeat this two more times for a total of three rounds.
To lower anxiety
Many of our anxieties stem from obsessive thought loops that feel never-ending. A quick fix is the box breathing method, as it will keep you laser focused on three things: your breath, counting numbers, and visualization. As your focus shifts, your anxious thoughts will as well.
How to:
- Sitting up straight, close your eyes and tuck your right elbow into your waist with your arm bent at 90 degrees. Your pointer finger should be pointing forward to trace the imaginary shape of a box.
- To start, you will inhale for four seconds and lift your pointer finger straight up to draw the left side of the box. Hold your breath for four seconds and slide your finger to the right to draw the top of the box.
- As you exhale for four seconds, lower your finger to draw the right side of the box.
- Finally, hold your breath for another four seconds and slide your finger to the left to draw the bottom line of the box.
- Keep doing this over and over, until you calm down.
To manage panic
When we’re in panic mode, our hormones become imbalanced, and our cortisol levels peak, causing the symptoms of panic. When you feel this coming on, stop whatever you’re doing, and begin breathing intentionally.
The 4-7-8 breathing method will quickly grab hold of our cortisol levels so we can combat the panic.
How to
- Begin the breathing method by inhaling deeply from the diaphragm for four seconds, followed by a big breath held for seven seconds.
- Slowly exhale for eight seconds.
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