Slow Deep Breathing – Powerful Way to Release Stress

If you closely observe, one thing that will become very apparent at times of stress is that your breathing becomes very shallow and fast. In cases of chronic stress the breathing pattern becomes so much altered that your body forgets how to breathe naturally and freely!

The way we breath has a direct relation to how we feel. As it’s difficult to change how we feel directly, we can indirectly feel better by consciously changing the way we breath. One technique that works extremely well to improve our overall well-being and release is slow deep breathing.

Most of us are either belly, chest or upper chest breathers. Unless we are in absolute health, we hardly use all the three regions. Slow deep breathing involves all the three regions thereby making the lungs work in it’s full range. However, if you have been stressed for a long time and have fault posture, it becomes imperative to correct your posture first using basic Yogasanas or stretches and bends. Your body needs to drop it’s rigidity and become flexible.

The Technique

The technique is very simple and you can do this at any place, standing or sitting, but preferably sitting.

Sit on the ground in any meditation pose (Half Lotus). You can also sit on a chair if you feel uncomfortable on the ground.

Now place your right hand on your abdomen and feel it rising with each inhalation and falling with each exhalation. If you seem to do it the reverse way, correct it. It should rise during inhalation and fall during exhalation. Now feel your chest and upper chest in the same way. The rising and falling may not be very apparent in some regions. If you have been breathing predominantly through your chest, then you may not feel the rise and fall of your abdomen. Don’t worry. If you cannot feel the rising and falling, feel the tension (during inhalation) and relaxation (during exhalation) in the region.

Once you can feel the breath in all three regions, it’s time to move on to the core practice.

Start with an exhale. Now slowly start the inhalation. Fill and expand your belly first, then your chest and then the upper chest. You may want to lift your shoulders a bit in the end of inhalation to give your lungs that extra movement in the upper chest region. You can also move your hands up if you find it difficult to open up your upper chest.

Pause for a while.

Now slowly exhale. Relaxing in the reverse order. First relax your upper chest, then your chest and finally your abdomen. Finally, pull in your abdomen to squeeze out all the air from your abdomen and pause for a while.

Repeat the above cycle as many times you can do it without straining yourself. The key here is to learn to breath through all the regions in a smooth fashion without any jerks and strain. It may not come as expected during first couple of times. But with practice and patience, you’ll soon master it.

Once you are finished just lie down and relax!

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