Breathing exercises for stress

Breathing is the one part of a stress response you can change on purpose, anywhere, without anyone noticing. You do not need a mat or a spare hour. You need a few minutes and a place to sit. It is also where I begin with students who come to me for private yoga when work is heavy.

In yoga, working with the breath has a name of its own, pranayama, the practice of working with the breath, and behind it sits an older word, prana, the breath and the life it sustains. The exercises below are simpler, modern techniques, and they are described here as techniques, not as treatments.

Before you start: safety notes

Read these first. They matter more than the counts.

• Stop if you feel dizzy, light-headed, tingly or short of breath. Return to normal breathing and sit until it passes.
• Pregnant? Skip every breath hold, and check with your OB or midwife before starting any breathing practice.
• Heart or lung condition? If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, asthma, COPD or another lung condition, ask your doctor before trying breath holds or long counts.
• Anxiety or panic? For some people, focusing on the breath raises anxiety instead of lowering it. If that happens, stop, open your eyes and look around the room.
• Never while driving, swimming or in water.

Sit upright in a chair or on the floor, or lie on your back. Breathe through the nose unless a step says otherwise.

Belly breathing: the one to learn first

Belly breathing, also called diaphragmatic breathing, is the plainest technique here and the one the others build on. Under stress, many people breathe high and fast in the upper chest. Belly breathing lets the breath drop lower, so the belly moves instead of the shoulders.

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent, or sit upright in a chair.
2. Rest one hand on your upper chest and the other on your belly, just above the navel.
3. Breathe in slowly through the nose and let the belly rise under your lower hand. The chest hand stays fairly still.
4. Breathe out through the nose or softly through pursed lips, and feel the belly fall.
5. Keep going for three to five minutes, with no counting and no holds.

Do not push the belly out on purpose; let it move with the breath. If it feels awkward at first, that is normal. Practise lying down for a few days before trying it sitting at your desk. Once it feels easy, the counted techniques below follow naturally, and the yogic breathing practices such as alternate nostril are the next step. For breath work alongside meditation, see the breath and meditation guides.

What is box breathing, and how do you do it?

Box breathing has four equal sides, like a square.

1. Breathe out fully.
2. Breathe in through the nose for a count of four.
3. Hold the breath in, gently, for a count of four.
4. Breathe out through the nose for a count of four.
5. Hold the breath out for a count of four.
6. Repeat for three to five minutes.

If four feels like a strain, use three. The holds should feel soft, never like you are gripping your throat. Do not hold the breath if you are pregnant, have a heart condition or high blood pressure, or feel dizzy: leave the holds out and simply breathe in for four and out for four.

How do you do 4-7-8 breathing?

This technique makes the out-breath long and slow.

1. Rest the tip of the tongue behind the upper front teeth.
2. Breathe out fully through the mouth.
3. Close the mouth and breathe in quietly through the nose for a count of four.
4. Hold the breath for a count of seven.
5. Breathe out through the mouth, with a soft whooshing sound, for a count of eight.
6. That is one round. Do four rounds to start.

The ratio matters more than the speed. If seven feels too long, count faster, or shorten the whole pattern to 2-3-4. Skip the hold entirely if you are pregnant, have a heart or lung condition or high blood pressure, or feel dizzy, and ask your doctor before you add it back.

A gentler option: the longer exhale

If holds are not for you, this one has none. Breathe in through the nose for a count of four and out through the nose for a count of six. Keep going for a few minutes. When the counting starts to feel like work, drop the numbers and just let each out-breath be a little slower than the in-breath.

This is the version I would suggest starting with if you are new to breathing practice.

When to use them

• Before something stressful: a meeting, a flight, a hard conversation. Box breathing is easy to do with your eyes open.
• At the end of the working day: a few rounds of the longer exhale as you change out of work clothes.
• In bed: 4-7-8 lying on your back, if you find it settling.

A few minutes most days is more useful than a long practice once in a while. For a short movement sequence to pair with these, see yoga for stress relief.

When to see a professional

Breathing exercises are not a treatment for anxiety, panic attacks, high blood pressure or any breathing problem. See a doctor if you often feel breathless, have chest pain or a racing heart, or find that stress or anxiety is affecting your sleep, work or relationships. A doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist can help you work out what is going on. If you ever feel unsafe, contact a local crisis line or emergency services.

Practising with me

Simple breathing is part of most of my private yoga lessons for stress and burnout, taught lying or sitting, so you can take it back to your desk or your bed. I come to your home, condo or office in Metro Manila, whether you want a private yoga teacher in Makati near the office or a yoga teacher who comes to you in BGC.