Breathing exercises for anxiety and stress

Rapid, deep breathing lowers your vitality, reduces your resistance to disease, and leads to an agitated state of mind. Here are tips on how to breathe properly.



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Emotions and breathing have a mutual relationship; when you are anxious, worried or distressed, your breathing quickens and may even become erratic. When you are calm and collected, your breathing is slow, composed and rhythmical. By controlling your breath through regular practise of certain breathing exercises, your mind and your emotions can be stilled.

Breathing better is a must as the brain requires the right levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide for clear and proper thinking. Not only that, your muscles also need it for vitality and your digestive system requires it to utilise the food that you consume and to help your body rid itself of waste products.

We look at various breathing techniques, some of which are used during yoga, to help you relax if you suffer from anxiety and stress.



Power breathing

Does the stress of Malaysia's traffic jams in the morning stress you out? Well, once you get to your destination (finally) or even in the car if needs be, make sure that you do the following exercise to bring back your inner calm and rid of that road rage.

Take a deep, deep breath through your nose, but make sure that you do this without exertion and without raising your shoulders or puffing out your chest. Once you have held it for a couple of seconds, breathe noisily but slowly through your lips.

Repeat this a few times making sure that it is smooth so that it seems like one seamless flow of air.



The conscious breath

This simply requires you to be aware of your breathing and making sure that it isn’t shallow or sharp. If you have an exam or an interview, you will no doubt be nervous, so practice this breathing technique to go back being tranquil and composed.

Sit in a comfy and relaxed position, and place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest. Close your eyes and breathe normally. Pay attention to your breathing rate, the rise and fall of your chest, and how the air feels in your lungs. Sit and focus on your breath for at least five minutes.



Alternate nostril breathing

Are your children running rings around you and driving you nuts or are you about to go nuclear on your boyfriend for something he has done, forgotten to do or said? Return to your natural Zen with this easy stress relieving technique.

Sit in a comfortable, upright position. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and inhale slowly through the left nostril. Close the left nostril with your right ring finger, remove your thumb from the right nostril, and exhale slowly through the right nostril. Then, inhale through the right nostril, close the right nostril with your right thumb and exhale through the left nostril. Repeat three times.



Abdominal muscle breathing

Have the other shoppers from the crowded malls got to you, or was that family holiday with the in-laws a bit too long to cope with? If so, then flop down and chill out with this breathing exercise.

This exercise uses your abdominal muscles to help train your body to take deeper breaths while you are lying on the floor (which is an added bonus for one and all). Use your abdominal muscles to expand your stomach so that it is inflated like a balloon. Hold this position for a few seconds then use the same muscles to suck in the muscles as far as they will go.

Once again, hold this position for a few seconds. Practise this repetition until your body seems to naturally rock from the movements.

On the exhale, envisage that you are forcing the air out through your body, all the way to your fingertips and toes. This exercise and mental picture nourishes the muscles with oxygen, making them more relaxed.



Standing exercise

Has the start of the New Year and going back to work or your daily routine got you in a tizz? Then read on.

Making sure that you stand with your feet shoulder width apart and with a straight back, slowly take in air right down to your abdomen, raising your arms up and out at the sides of your body until they are above your head. Hold the breath, then slowly lower your arms while exhaling. Repeat this till you feel calmer.



Buzz like a bee

Don’t get stressed with daily nonsense and little things that really shouldn’t matter. Keep yourself in the right frame of mind and relax with this quirky breathing exercise. Buzz like a bee and sting that anxiety away.

While sitting comfortably, inhale slowly, from the stomach, and fill your lungs to their maximum. Pause for three seconds then breathe out slowly, using your tongue to make a buzzing sound, like a bee. Repeat three to five times and pause for three seconds between each inhale and exhale.