Take a deep breath and sigh it out. Feel better? Breathwork may be on the list of things you know you should do but never seem to have time or are unsure how to do it properly. The good news is a recent study in Cell Reports Medicine found that just five minutes of daily breathwork can improve your mood, reduce anxiety, and positively impact key good health indicators like respiratory rate, heart rate, and heart rate variability.
“We’re always busy doing instead of being. And it’s a good idea to just take a few minutes to collect yourself, commune with your body, and help it prepare to deal with whatever you want to deal with.”
―Dr. David Spiegel, an author of the study and Professor & Medical Director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine
Get started with these 4 simple breathwork techniques.
1. Restorative Breathing
Movement Living yoga teacher Lydia Zamorano teaches you diaphragmatic breathing, a technique which activates your parasympathetic nervous system. This allows you to be in a ‘rest and digest’ state, the opposite of ‘fight or flight’. Allow Lydia’s gentle and mellow cues to relax your body as you find a steady breath.
2. Energizing Breathing
If you’re feeling sluggish, take a natural shot of caffeine and learn Bhastrika breathing with Movement Living breathwork teacher Trilby Goouch. Bhastrika breathing, also known as Breath of Fire, is a vigorous quick breath that enhances energy levels, increases blood oxygenation, and aids digestion.
3. Performance Breathing
Breathwork can help you focus and reduce anxiety for those moments when you have to be ‘on’, like a challenging phone call, a wedding speech, or a pickleball match. Movement Living teacher and Canadian boxing champion Rob Couzens teaches you simple breathwork that he uses to stay calm before getting in the ring. Learn the power of retention which improves tolerance to hypoxia and hypercapnia. In laywoman’s terms, this helps your lung performance, upgrading your next workout!
4. Easeful Breathing
This is a simple exercise you can try anywhere or anytime to reset your mental state. Set a timer for 5 minutes, then:
- Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds
- Hold for 4 seconds
- Exhale through your nose for 4 seconds
- Hold for 4 seconds
- Repeat until your timer ends
This is known as box breathing. It’s a classic breathing technique that will leave you grounded and uplifted. Now is the perfect time to try!
