{"id":12971,"date":"2021-10-13T10:02:39","date_gmt":"2021-10-13T09:02:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theyogarevolution.co.uk\/?p=12971"},"modified":"2023-10-24T10:04:36","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T09:04:36","slug":"breathing-for-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theyogarevolution.co.uk\/breathing-for-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Breathing Techniques For Anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s an interesting concept, for anyone who’s not done it before; using the breath as a tool to help calm anxiety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it sure can feel like nothing will help, when you’re in the midst of a panic attack, or when your mind is doing somersaults. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But can you trust me when I tell you that, honestly and scientifically, breathing will help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As self-confessed pulmonaut (read: breath geek), James Nestor, who wrote Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art (check it out at the top of our Bookshop non-fiction list<\/a>), tells us:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Those with the worst anxieties consistently suffer from the worst breathing habits.”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

And why? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, we’ve never really been taught what good breathing looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyone ever talk with you as a kid about nasal breathing vs mouth breathing? Maybe if you’re an athlete, but it basically stops there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this post, I’ll share with you my top three breathing exercises that I use to help with my own anxiety, and that I teach in classes to help others. These techniques are used by Navy SEALs, asthmatics, free divers, interview-takers, CEOs, and now you…<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Resonant Breath<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This one’s simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breathe in for a count of 5.5 seconds, expanding the belly and then the ribs in all directions, then without pausing, gently breathe out for 5.5 seconds, bringing the belly back toward the spine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This controlled breath technique actually slows us down. So often our anxieties are coupled with quicker, shallower breathing. What happens when we breath quick and shallow? Well, the balance between carbon dioxide and oxygen gets thrown out of whack. And yes, it actually means we need to increase carbon dioxide levels by slowing the breath. That’s what this technique does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This one’s taken right from yogic tradition; it involves breathing in through one nostril, pausing, breathing out through the opposite nostril and repeating on the other side. Practice this, and you’ll improve your lung function, reduce your heart rate and blood pressure, and down-regulate your nervous system<\/a> (shifting from fight or flight to rest and digest). <\/p>\n\n\n\n