Health

3 Powerful Meditation Breathing Exercises You Can Try Right Now

By Jade Doherty

Feeling anxious, unfocused, or in need of an energy boost? Try these 3 meditation breathing exercises to feel better than ever.

Do you ever wish that someone would just tell you exactly what you need to do to feel good?

Someone taught you how to tie your shoes and how to make a cup of tea, but when it comes to navigating life and feeling good while doing it, it can feel like you're on your own and have to work it out for yourself. Whilst you might have learned math and history at school, chances are no one ever taught you how to manage your mind or your emotions.

One of the most powerful tools that you have is right under your nose; your breath!

A bold claim, I know, but it's true. We even have the studies to prove it.

By working with your breath via meditation breathing exercises you are able to achieve results like;

Reducing anxiety and stress
Reducing PTSD
Improving your sleep
Reducing the aging process
Increasing focus and concentration
So much more!

And when you combine the breath with meditation, you are unstoppable!

OK...but how?

If you're feeling skeptical that's ok, I was too when I first heard about the relationship between the breath and how I felt. It sounds too good to be true, and yet, it really does work.

You already know the classic image of a stressed-out person breathing into a bag to help them calm down, or people "helpfully" telling you to breathe when you're anxious, or even the deep breath you take before starting a presentation or a difficult phone call.

All of these everyday situations are using the breath to influence your mood.

You've been working with your breath without even realizing it!

Every emotion has a corresponding breath pattern, from anxiety to relaxation, there's a breath pattern.

Let's play a little game.

Think about something that you don't want to do. An email that you're nervous to open, or a conversation you don't want to have. You’ve been avoiding it, you really don’t want to do it. Maybe you’ve even been putting it off for weeks or months.

Observe what happens to your breath.

Your breathing gets faster and shallower, right?

Now, let's shake that situation off, and think of something that you love doing. Maybe taking a nice bath or reading a good book. Think how good it will feel, how relaxed your body will be in the bath or a comfy chair with a good book.

And again, notice your breathing.

Your breath is slower and deeper, right?

By reverse-engineering this process, by working with the breath to influence the emotions, you can take charge of how you feel.

Breathwork and Meditation

In the yoga tradition actively working with the breath is called pranayama. Prana can be translated as breath or life force energy, and Yama means to control. So pranayama is the practice of controlling the breath.

There are so many different breathing exercises you can practice, from calming and soothing breathing techniques to help you sleep, to breathing exercises to help you focus or have more energy.

You can also use breathwork to aid your meditation practice.

A lot of people struggle with meditation. You sit down, ready to experience inner peace and enlightenment, and rather than experiencing a well of inner calm, you experience never-ending thoughts, agitation, and a constant itch you need to scratch!

The missing piece is very often pranayama, as by working with your breath prior to your meditation, you create a state of calm, allowing you to go deeper into your meditation and experience increased peace and calm.

It's not that you're bad at meditation, you're just not making the most of your breath to enhance your meditation.

What are the best meditation breathing exercises?

When it comes to choosing a breathing technique you have a ton of choices! There are so many amazing breathing techniques for you to explore, whether you need to reduce stress and anxiety or boost energy. There's a breathing pattern for that!

Here are 3 techniques for you to try.

To reduce anxiety...Try Straw Breath

Anxiety got you down? With this breathing exercise, you can calm down, quickly.

How to : Sit comfortably with your spine straight but relaxed. Inhale fully and calmly through your nose. Then, making the shape of a straw with your lips (or using an actual straw if you have one), exhale slowly, gently, and fully. Your breath will probably feel a little cold.

Inhale slowly through your nose again, and then gently exhale through your pursed, straw-shaped lips. And again, inhale through the nose, and exhale out through the straw-shaped lips.

If you can, try to practice belly breathing, or abdominal breathing, as you do this, as belly breathing is also very calming and nourishing. Belly breathing means your belly - not your chest - is rising and falling as you breathe. Continue breathing in this way for about 5 minutes. You can even add breath retention if you like. For more on Straw Breath, check out this post.

To feel more focused...Try Alternate Nostril Breathing

Alternate Nostril Breathing (ANB) is a great breathing exercise to bring focus, by balancing both hemispheres of your brain and creating a calm sense of awareness and mindfulness.

How to : Sit comfortably, with a relaxed, straight spine. Leaving your left hand on your knee, take your right hand, and place the middle and index fingers between your eyebrows. You will use your thumb and ring finger to alternately close one nostril at a time.

Using your thumb, close your right nostril as you inhale - meaning you inhale only through your left nostril - now, using your ring finger, block your left nostril and exhale through your right nostril.

On the next inhale, keep your fingers as they are, breathing in through the right nostril, and exhaling through the left nostril. The flow is: in the left nostril, out the right nostril. In the right nostril, out the left nostril. In the left nostril, out the right nostril. Continue this for a few minutes.

You can also check out this article, especially if you'd like to see a video of alternate nostril breathing in action.

To feel more energized...Kapalbhati

Kapalbhati AKA Skull Shining Breath is an amazing breathing exercise to feel rejuvenated. Perfect for a midday slump!

How to : Sit comfortably with a straight spine. Take in a deep but gentle inhale. On the exhale contract your lower belly, forcing the breath out. Quickly release your abdomen and allow your breath to automatically fill your lungs. Continue in this pattern of a sharp exhale and automatic inhale for 20 breaths.

To see kapalbhati in practice check out this video. This is an advanced practice with some exceptions, so before you practice take a moment to read the contraindications here.

Want more?

Now that you have had a taster of the power of how these breathing exercises can positively impact you, and reduce stress and anxiety, it's time to dive in!

At The Art of Living, we teach a complete program called SKY Breath Meditation, where you will learn breathing techniques that will transform your life! We can only scratch the surface in this article, but the SKY course will take you deep and teach you everything you need to know to master your breath and your life. That means less anxiety, more energy, a deeper feeling of peace, plus a ton of health benefits too!

To get you started on this exciting journey, we're thrilled to invite you to join Beyond Breath, a free intro workshop where an instructor will guide you through a breath meditation, and give you a taste of what to expect on the full program. You'll be able to ask any questions you might have too.

Click below to get started and join Beyond Breath for free.