In this day and age of hustling, stress is a companion that never abandons us. Feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated due to the copious amounts of work, personal feelings, and financial decisions we face daily is becoming the norm. Feelings of anxiety and depression seem to be taking over everyone’s lives.
Stress may have become an unavoidable part of life due to the constant demands we face, but there are exercises we can inculcate into our routines to help ourselves. The most effective tool we have in our arsenal against stress is breathing exercises. It helps us introduce calm and peace into our hectic lives.
By focusing on aligning the rhythm of our breathing with the rhythm of our body, we can initiate a state of peace and relaxation. We can lower our blood pressure, lower the stress hormone cortisol, relax the tension in our muscles, and calm our minds with the help of breathwork, which is one of the many stress relief techniques.
The Science Behind Relaxation Breathing.
Before we dive into the breathwork techniques, let’s understand the importance of breathing. The central nervous system connects with our breathing, which acts as a bridge between the conscious and unconscious parts of our mind.
The parasympathetic nervous system activates when we engage in deep breath breathing exercises. These exercises help us curb the stress response released by the sympathetic nervous system.
Apart from the benefits of lowering our blood pressure, muscle relaxation, and stress hormones, relaxation breathing helps us achieve a state of calm throughout our body and mind.
Mindful breathing also helps us become more aware of our bodies and minds, helping us live in the moment rather than let the stress of our past and present take over.
Breathing Techniques for Stress Relief and Relaxation
There are various stress relief techniques of breathing rooted in many cultures. They help us counteract stress and promote peace throughout our bodies and minds.
They help us detach from the feelings of anxiety and depression. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will including these breathing exercises into your routine.
Keep practicing them daily to make them a habit and get satisfying results. Here are some easy breathing techniques that will change your life:
- Pranayama: Pranayama refers to an ancient yogic breathing technique that helps clear up your body’s physical and emotional pathways to free the breath and flow of life.
There are multiple versions of Pranayama, and they are powerful techniques to help the overall health of your body. These breathing exercises help calm down your mind and reduce the stress hormones.
This stress reduction also helps reduce the risk of asthma attacks. This breathwork also increases lung strength and clear discharge from your body. Due to this exercise, we can increase the muscle function of our lungs.
- Breathing Retention (Kumbhaka): This is another form of yogic relaxation breathing that allows you to calm the mind, reach a higher state of awareness, and relax your body.
This set of breathing exercises helps your body by integrating it into the inhaling or exhaling phase of the breathing cycle. According to B.K.S. Iyengar in ‘Light in Yoga,’ kumbhaka is the “retention or holding the breath, a state where there is no inhalation or exhalation.”
The ultimate aim of this breathwork is to encourage the stillness of the mind and increase the capacity for bodily awareness.
- Holotropic Breathwork: Holotropic breathwork is one of the New Age breathing exercises developed by Stanislav and Christina Grof in the 1970s. Holotropic breathing aims to help your journey of self-healing by influencing your mental, physical, and emotional states.
By partaking in this breathwork, you can expand your avenues of growth and advance towards a feeling of awakening. This feeling can often feel like catharsis.
From the Greek words “holos” (whole) and “trepein” (to move forward), the word ‘holotropic’ translates to “moving towards wholeness.” The primary purpose of such breathing exercises is to highlight that healing comes from within.
This relaxation breathing method is practiced in a group manner. People are paired off together, and there is a “breather” and a “sitter.” The “sitter” guides the session and ensures that the “breather” feels safe and secure. This technique allows the participants to enter an altered state where the memories of past events may emerge.
- 4-7-8 Breathing: This mindfulness breathing technique is derived from the yogic practice of Pranayama. You can practice this breathwork by breathing in for 4 seconds, holding your breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds.
The purpose of such breathing exercises is to lessen the effect of anxiety and help people calm their minds to the extent that they can fall asleep. The technique focuses on long, deep, and rhythmic breathing.
Along with helping anxiety and feelings of melancholy, this breathing technique can also allow you to reduce your anger response. By focusing on your breathwork, you will be able to control your emotions and take charge of them instead of them taking charge of you.
- Nadi Shodhana: Also known as alternate nostril breathing, this technique belongs to the yogic tradition of meditation. It is a part of mindfulness breathing and relaxation.
Such stress-relief techniques ensure that you can clear your energy channels and, thus, calm your mind. Sit comfortably with your back straight.
Use your right thumb to close to your night nostril and breathe in through your left nostril. Then, use your right finger to close your left nostril and breathe in through your right nostril. Keep alternating between breaths and repeat this process steadily.
In conclusion, there are a lot of benefits to breathing exercises, such as focusing on your sensations, feeling the sensation of your breath cleansing your body, cultivating awareness of your body and mind, gently acknowledging your thoughts, and guiding your mind back to peace.
Once you master quieting your mind and gaining control over your thoughts, you can start implementing those techniques in other aspects of your life.
The next time you feel stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed, take a deep breath in and calm your mind. It will help you guide your mind back to a state of peace and embrace serenity.
