Take a Deep Breath

Simple, but often unconscious and overlooked, deep breathing can be highly potent and beneficial for physical and mental health.

The benefits of deep breathing can be traced back to ancient traditions, like meditation, yoga, qi gong, tai chi... but science, too, has some things to say on the topic.

Research on slow and deep breathing techniques consistently highlights their effectiveness in promoting positive emotions, enhancing emotional regulation, and improving overall well-being. These techniques have been shown to influence brain activity by increasing alpha and theta waves, which are associated with heightened vitality. By activating the parasympathetic nervous system, slow, deep breathing induces relaxation responses and diminishes stress by inhibiting the sympathetic nervous system. Additionally, evidence suggests that deep breathing can reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms, both in the general population and among those with clinical conditions.

 

THE VEGUS NERVE FACTOR

The vagus nerve plays a significant role in the mediation of the parasympathetic nervous system— the part of the nervous system responsible for rest and relaxation. Incorporating slow, deep breathing exercises into your daily routine can be a powerful way to improve vagal tone, leading to better stress management, enhanced relaxation, and overall improved health.

Slow, deep breathing stimulates the vagus nerve calming the body by reducing heart rate and blood pressure. Additionally, vagal nerve activation through slow breathing can also reduce inflammation by releasing anti-inflammatory neurotransmitters, which helps in managing chronic stress and inflammatory conditions, as well as helping to enhance digestive functions, promoting better nutrient absorption and reducing issues like bloating or indigestion.

 

DEEP BREATHING EXERCISES

These breathing exercises are organized in a sequence, each designed to gradually enhance your awareness and build the strength needed for the next. Begin with the first one or two exercises for a few sessions, and then add another as you become comfortable with the initial steps.

AWARENESS BREATHING
The breath awareness exercise is a simple introduction to your breathing pattern, which helps you to slow down and enter a relaxed pace of breathing.

1. Sit in an upright position, or lie down on your back— find a comfortable position that you can sustain for a few minutes.
2. Release any unnecessary tension with small movements and gentle adjustments, gently settling into bringing your awareness to your breath. You only need to observe your breath; do not change anything.
3. With each inhalation and exhalation, observe the movements and sensations in your body. Let your attention travel with the air passing through your nose and throat to your lungs, feeling the expansion of the chest and belly.
4. Continue doing this for a few minutes.

 

THREE-STEP BREATHING
Being able to identify and experience the following three types of breathing will help you experience the full-breadth of deep breathing.

For these exercises, lie down on your back if possible. Place your right hand on top of your navel and left hand on top of your chest. Start by observing the natural flow of your breath for a few cycles.

1. Abdominal Breathing With the next inhalation, think of intentionally sending the air toward your navel by letting your abdomen expand and rise freely. Feel the right hand rising while the left hand remains almost still on top of the chest. Then, feel the right hand coming down as you exhale while keeping the abdomen relaxed. Continue to repeat this for a few minutes without straining the abdomen, but rather allowing it to expand and relax freely.
2. Thoracic breathing Without changing your position, shift your attention to your ribcage. With the next inhalation, think of intentionally sending the air toward your ribcage instead of the abdomen. Let your chest expand and rise freely, allowing your left hand to move up and down as you keep breathing. Breathe through the chest without engaging your diaphragm, slowly and deeply. Your right hand should remain almost still. Continue to repeat this breathing pattern for a few minutes.
3. Clavicular Breathing During thoracic breathing, when the ribcage is completely expanded, inhale a bit more, thinking of allowing the air to fill the upper section of your lungs at the base of your throat. Feel the shoulders and collarbone rise gently to find some space for the extra air to come in. Exhale slowly, letting the collarbone and shoulders drop first and then continue to relax the ribcage. Continue to repeat this for a few minutes. After some repetitions, return to your natural breathing.

 

YOGIC BREATHING
Start by focusing on your natural breath, as practiced in the abdominal exercise above.

1. Triangle Breath The feature of this exercise is the "retention" of breath. Longer breath retention has been associated with relaxation, decreased metabolic rates, and cognitive inhibition responses. The triangle breathing technique uses a deep breathing pattern with external breath retention. It consists of imagining each breath cycle as a triangle, using a 4:4:4 ratio for inhaling, holding, and exhaling. Inhale to the count of 4; at the top of that inhale hold your breath for the same count of 4; and finally release to the count of 4. Repeat.

2. Square breath This exercise uses the deep breathing pattern above, with both internal and external breath retention. It consists of imagining each breath cycle as a square, using a 4:4:4:4 ratio for inhaling, holding in, exhaling, and holding out. This technique allows the body to relax and preserve energy, and studies suggest it is useful for muscle fatigue, headaches, and other stress-related symptoms.