Deep breathing exercises are when you breathe in and out in a restful and purposeful way.

These exercises can help you calm down by decreasing stress, lowering your blood pressure, and slowing how fast you breathe.

There are many different kinds of deep breathing exercises, like:

Box Breathing:

Box breathing has 4 steps that each take 4 seconds, like a box with 4 equal sides.

  1. Breathe in for 4 seconds
  2. Hold your breath for 4 seconds
  3. Breathe out for 4 seconds
  4. Wait for 4 seconds before breathing again
  5. Repeat

Belly Breathing:

For belly breathing, you take deep breaths from your belly while sitting or lying down.

  1. Place one hand on your upper chest and the other hand on your belly.
  2. Allow your body to relax. Try not to tense your muscles.
  3. Breathe in slowly through your nose, allowing your belly to rise and fill with air under your hand. Try not to breathe in with your chest – the hand on your chest should stay still, not rising or falling.
  4. Exhale slowly through your mouth. You should feel the hand on your belly fall as you breathe out.
  5. Repeat steps 3 and 4.

The great thing about these exercises is that you can do them anywhere. You don’t need any special equipment, and they only take a few minutes.

Next time you’re feeling stressed out, take a moment to try some deep breathing exercises and see if you start feeling a little bit better!

 

Deep breathing is stress relieving!