It’s so easy to get caught up in the chaos of our everyday lives. Between meetings, doctors appointments, carpool coordination and volunteer events, it’s a miracle if we’re able to take even a few minutes out of our day for ourselves.
Fortunately, focused breathing is an innate skill at our disposal that will easily reduce stress, heighten performance and improve concentration. Put your bustling, busy lifestyle on pause with these three easy breathing techniques that you can sprinkle throughout the day to help get you centered and present.
Box Breathing
The key component to any effective breathing technique is awareness. The box breathing technique shifts your focus from external stressors onto the timing of your breath.
Start by sitting in a comfortable position. Soften your gaze or gently close your eyes. Inhale and count to four. At the top of your breath, hold it for four seconds. Slowly exhale for a count of four. Hold your breath at the bottom for four seconds. Repeat until you feel relaxed. Typically thirty seconds to a minute will be long enough to help you feel centered and rejuvenated for the rest of your day.
Breathe Color
Visualization can be another effective method of bringing focus to your breath. Find a comfortable position. Close your eyes and imagine that all of the negativity inside your body—stress, anger, confusion, etc.—is one color. Now picture all the positive feelings you’d like to experience—joy, relaxation, energy, etc.—as another color.
Exhale slowly and picture the color that you have associated with negativity leaving your body. Your exhale will ideally be twice as long as your inhale. Now, inhale and imagine your lungs filling with the color that you have associated with positivity. Hold your breath and imagine the color filling your body. Repeat until you’ve reached a new point of relaxation.
Incorporate Touch
Including touch in your breathing practice can provide physical cues to help you effectively focus your breathing.
Find yourself in a comfortable position. Either soften your gaze or gently close your eyes. Place one hand on your chest and the other hand on your lower belly. For a few moments, breathe as you normally would. Take note of the rise and fall of your belly as well as the rhythm of your heart.
Inhale and direct your breath into the hand on your lower belly. Try to not let your breath get caught in your chest. Hold your breath for three seconds and slowly exhale. It should feel like your belly is a balloon, constantly inflating and deflating. Using the hand on your chest, take notice of how your heartbeat has changed as a result of your focused breath. Continue this practice until you feel relaxed.
