6 Breathing Exercises To Reduce Stress & Anxiety

Life gets to us all and stress sometimes becomes inevitable. But, breathing right can alleviate your stress and considerably reduce blood pressure. Making conscious changes in your breathing pattern can activate the nervous system that counters stress stimuli. 

Mindful breathing heightens awareness of the present, allows you to slow down and balance your thoughts. Below are 6 breathing exercises that will reduce stress and anxiety. 

Exercise 1: Belly Breathing 

Shallow breathing puts your nervous system in a ‘fight or flight mode,’ tricking your mind into believing that it’s under stress. This causes unwarranted anxiety and tension. Belly breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, allows you to take deeper breaths that relaxes your mind and puts you in a state of ease. 

Here’s how to do it:

1. Place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest. Think of your stomach to be a balloon. As you breathe, you’re filling it with air causing it to inflate and as you exhale it deflates.
2. Slowly inhale through your nose. You can also slow count till 3 and inhale gradually rather than breathing-in and then holding your breath. Your breaths should be very light and natural, exert no pressure while inhaling. Feel your stomach rise as you inhale.
3. Then exhale slowly on the count of three. As you do, feel your stomach deflate and go back to its resting position. 

With time, you can increase the duration of your breaths, without straining yourself or stretching too much. 

Exercise 2: Pursed Lips Breathing 

One quick way to calm down is to practice slow breathing through pursed lips. This lets more oxygen into your lungs, giving you better control over your breathing. 

Here’s how to do it:

1. Breathe in slowly through your nose.
2. Then breathe out through your mouth, as if you’re blowing a candle. It’s ideal if you can out a bit longer than you inhale. 
3. You can repeat this up till 10 times. Stop if you start feeling light-headed. 

Exercise 3: Box Breathing

This is a fairly new practice and is proven to be quite beneficial. Since you’re a beginner, we recommend taking assistance with a video. You’ll easily find videos on box breathing on YouTube, where the basic idea is to practice controlled breathing as the cursor traces the outlines of a box. If you want to do it on your own, here’s how to do it. 

1. Slowly exhale to a count of four. 
2. Hold your breath for four counts 
3. Then slowly take in a deep, calm breath for a count of four. 
4. Again exhale for four, and then repeat this process. 

Exercise 4: 4-7-8 Breathing

Curated by a doctor at the University of Arizona, this technique can quickly calm your nerves and relax you. It’s best to do this lying down, if not you can also sit back.

Here’s how to do it: 

1. Place a hand on your belly and the other on your chest. 
2. Take in a slow, calm breath and count to four as you do it. 
3. Then, hold it in for a count of seven. 
4. Now, by counting till 8, slowly release all the air out of your lungs. 
5. You can repeat this process seven times or till you feel calm. 

Exercise 5: Resonance Breathing

Also known as coherent breathing, this technique helps you to avoid and calm yourself during a panic attack. You can even practice this whenever you feel overwhelmed or under stress. 

How to do it:

1. Lie down, close your eyes. 
2. Breath through your nose, keep your mouth closed and inhale for 6 seconds. 
3. Then slowly exhale for six seconds without forcing your body. Feel the breath leaving your body. 
4. You can continue doing this for up to 10 minutes or until you feel better. 

Exercise 6: Pranayama

A well-known form of controlled and mindful breathing in Yoga, this practice is so powerful that it can even alter the state of your mind. It sends a message to your brain to relax, which is then directed towards your body. 

Here’s how to do it: 

1. Lie down or sit back with your spine erect. 
2. Take in a steady breath through your nose, until you reach your lung’s capacity. 
3. Then constraint some breath at the back of your throat and then slowly exhale through both your nostrils. 

Although we can use these breathing techniques during SOS times, we recommend seeing a doctor and getting medical help if your anxiety, panic attacks or stress is not getting under control.