TMS #009: Learn Breathing And Reduce Stress

Breathing techniques have existed for almost 2000 years for important reasons:

If you breathe correctly, you can reduce stress, sleep well and stay calm.

Time to try it out!

Hi there👋.

Do you also know the need to take a deep breath in stressful moments?

This saying is not entirely taken out of the air. Many studies now prove the causal link between breathing techniques and stress reduction.

It was found that it is possible to calm oneself through conscious and slow breathing. Another study proved the link between conscious breathing and improved sleep quality. It is even known today that breathing techniques can reduce stage fright, lower high blood pressure and take away anxiety.

Breathing techniques and their effects were already described in the 2nd century AD by the Indian scholar Patanjali under the term “Pranayama”. In his work, the Yoga Sutras, Pranayamas form the 4th limb of a yogi’s 8-fold path to “Samadhi”, the self-realization. The Yoga Sutras are to be understood as the standard work of yoga.

Pranayama comprises Prana (=life energy) and Ayama (=control). According to Patanjali, by controlling the breath, one can also control the flow of energy and increase vital energy. The breath is also understood as a connection between mind and body. If the breath comes to rest, you also calm your mind.

Challenge: Breathing Is Ignored

In everyday life, your breath works automatically, and you usually do not deal with it. This is very unhealthy, especially in stressful situations.

Moments of stress cause you to hold your breath or merely breathe in short, rapid frequencies across your chest. The body’s stress response is further fueled.

Forgetting about our breath, we try to reduce our stress through other ways: We calm ourselves with chocolate or other sweets, smoke or drink alcohol. Breathing would be much healthier for your body.

Solution: Conscious Breathing

Conscious breathing is the best anti-stress tool, because it works on its own, is available at any time, and is completely free to boot.

This is a good enough reason to take a closer look at this topic! I give you 5 simple breathing tips to help you find more peace and serenity in your stressful everyday life. So start the self-experiment right away!

Breathing Tip 1: Breathe Into Your Belly

Your breath is an anchor you can hold onto and return to the present moment. Breathing happens exclusively in the here and now. You can’t breathe in the past or the future.

Place your hands on your belly when you notice your attention is distracted. Feel the contact between the palm and the belly. Now take a few deep breaths in and exhale completely. Imagine directing the breath past your ribs and into your abdomen. Consciously try to collect the breath in your abdomen. This may seem confusing or difficult at first, since you usually breathe through your chest in everyday life. Give yourself time.

You will quickly notice that this exercise requires your full attention. This is your anchor. The breath leads you back to the here and now.

Breathing Tip 2: Get Closer To Your Breath

Focus on a particular aspect of your breath. Direct your attention to your nostrils. First, observe the flow of your breath. Notice how the breath flows in and out. Become aware of the exchange with your surroundings. Become aware of the aspect of intake and release. With the inhale you take in oxygen, the body is activated. With the exhale comes a sense of letting go. Stay for a moment with your full concentration on this change.

Inhale - take in

Exhale - release

After a few breaths, go a step further and try to perceive the temperature of the respective air currents. Feel the coolness and freshness of the inhale and the warmed breath on the exhale.

This exercise supports you, especially in creating an awareness of the exchange with your environment. It sensitizes you to the quality of the air around you and gives you a sense of the power and energy you can absorb through your breath.

Breathing Tip 3: Lengthen Your Exhalation

When your mind’s carousel goes round and round, and you can hardly switch off, a helpful exercise is counting your breath. The purpose of the exercise is to lengthen the exhale and thus calm your stream of thoughts.

For example, to specifically lengthen the exhale, you can count to four on the inhale and six on the exhale. This exercise especially helps to quiet the thoughts. You can practice it before going to bed or in any everyday situation where you want to give your mind a moment’s break. I always use it before going to sleep.

In - two, three, four

Out - two, three, four, five, six

Repeat the exercise a few times. The connection between counting and breathing results in no further thoughts having room to unfold. You automatically become more tired and fall asleep faster.

Breathing Tip 4: Breathe Like Darth Vader

Ujjayi breathing is one of the most widely used “yoga breathing exercises”. In the newer styles of yoga, Ujjayi breathing is used almost universally during yoga exercises (asanas).

For Ujjayi breathing, you create a flowing rubbing or breath sound both when inhaling and exhaling with your mouth closed. The rubbing sound is produced by the muscles of the glottis constricting. It is thus an audible breath. The rubbing sound is so strong that only you can hear it.

This exercise mainly calms the mind and can lead to more vital energy. Also, by making your breath audible, you automatically get feedback about the speed, depth, and nervousness in your breath and, thus in your mind.

You can use this breathing in any situation in life. On the bus or train, cleaning up at home, or before a meeting. Make the Ujjayi breath your daily companion for more peace and harmony in your body and mind.

Breathing Tip 5: The Humming Bee

Bhramari breathing translates as bee sound breathing. Through a specific breathing technique, you create a bee-like sound. The exercise originates from yoga and belongs to the Mahakumbhakas, the 8 great breathing exercises in yoga. The exercise aims to come to peace through sound. You can better perceive the inner silence by consciously creating an outer sound. Like player and opponent. In yoga, other effects are attributed to the exercise. Among other things, Bhramari cleanses the throat and reduces coughing and hoarseness. Awesome!

So how does the bee breathing work?

When you inhale, you create the sound of a male bee by breathing in with a snoring sound. Keep your mouth closed. Imagine that you are snoring with pleasure in your sleep.

The exhale in return, represents the sound of a female bee. This is probably what you imagine a bee sound to be. So exhale with your mouth closed, creating a buzzing sound.

In the beginning, bee breathing usually seems strange. Try it out a few times for yourself in silence. Close your eyes if you like so you can devote yourself entirely to breathing. Afterward, feel for yourself. Take two or three breaths to feel the silence.

TL;DR

• Conscious breathing is the best anti-stress tool

• Tip 1: Breathe into your belly

• Tip 2: Get closer to your breath

• Tip 3: Lengthen your exhalation

• Tip 4: Breathe like Darth Vader

• Tip 5: The Humming Be

Breathing techniques are great for your meditation or daily morning routine. Again, quality over quantity. Don’t put yourself under pressure. A few conscious breaths are enough to get a feeling for yourself and your breath. Just try it out.

See you again next week.

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