Just Do It; Just Don’t Think About It
One of the biggest pitfalls with trying to breathe mindfully is the trying part. Just like my experience with the massage therapist, being told when to breathe in and out makes it impossible. Telling someone to breathe naturally is the equivalent of telling someone not to think of sex – you’re gonna have X-rated thoughts, and you’re gonna breathe like you’re having an asthma attack. It just shouldn’t be that hard.
“With breathing, complexity rarely offers better results; it’s the pragmatic practice that is most remarkable,” Rockwood said.
Mutschler agrees.
“It’s always been difficult to consciously make yourself do abdominal breathing because it is natural breathing,” Mutschler said.
Five Simple Breathing Exercises
So what can you do to breathe naturally without getting too in-your-head about it?
To reap all the benefits this type of breathing has to offer, here are five incredibly easy exercises and simple changes for your lifestyle.
Standing Breath
Kevin Mutschler, L.Ac., said one of the keys to mindful breathing is to set yourself up to easily do it in your everyday life.
When standing, simply open your knees a little bit to relax the belly. Because we can feel our legs more readily when standing, we often lock them to shift the work to our belly and back. When our belly is engaged this way, we can’t breathe diaphragmatically.
“The test is to see if you can wiggle your hips,” he said. “If you can’t, that’s telling you you’re locked right up to the hips. If you can, they are free. It makes your legs do the work again.”
Box Breathing
“The simplest breathing pattern that will deliver profound results in just 10 rounds of breathing is ‘box breathing,’” said Lucas Rockwood, founder of YOGABODY Naturals & Absolute Yoga Academy. “It’s used in everything from yoga classes to military training. It’s called ‘box’ breathing because it’s 4x4x4x4.”
To box breathe:
- Inhale, counting to 4 in your head
- Hold for a 4-count
- Exhale for a 4-count
- Hold for a 4-count
- Repeat 10 times (will take 5-10 minutes based on experience)
Sitting Breath
To get you diaphragmatically breathing at your desk job, Mutschler said it all comes down to the right chair.
“Find a store with a dozen or two dozen office chairs and just try all of them,” he said. “Don’t look at price or brand, and make note of the one where you sigh as soon as you sit in it. When you feel yourself sigh, that means the abdomen has relaxed and the body is supported.”
Imagery Breathing
Mind Body Fitness NYC owner Meghan Covington said she finds using imagery helpful when getting clients to breathe diaphragmatically.
“As you inhale imagine you are blowing up a balloon deep inside your belly. You should feel and see your belly expand. As you exhale empty the balloon by drawing your navel back toward your spine. You should feel and see your belly shrink. Think: inhale to expand, exhale to release,” she said.
Take a Hike
Literally. Or take a walk in a preferably natural setting with some open space, like in a park, Mutschler said. Slowing down and not hurrying is the key in resetting your natural rhythms and breathing.
“Don’t think about it, and your body will go into its natural state,” he said.
Reduced Breathing
Lucy Hendricks, a restorative breathing coach, said this is a simple breath she uses with athletes at GYM Laird in Lexington, Ky.
“In and out through the nose, (breathe) in for 3 to 4 seconds and out for 5 to 6 seconds,” she said.
