By Sejal Shah | Posted: June 02, 2020
Did you know that our breath and mind are closely connected? If you are feeling anxious, try this easy Straw Breathing and calm your mind now with this demo & practice video.
Even though you may not have noticed consciously, the breath-mind connection is very powerful. Think about it: When you are feeling anxious and your heart is racing, what’s the first thing you do? Deep breathing. When you’re restless, sleepless, and nervous before a test or big interview, what’s the most common piece of advice you’re given? “Take a deep breath.” This is because breathing helps slow your heart rate, which can lower anxiety and calm your mind. Yes, you are reading right, to get rid of anxiety, your own breath can play the magic. Practicing some easy breathing techniques at the time when your mind is galloping, can be the most effective way to calm your mind.
Breathwork is a more recent term used for various breathing practices and techniques in which the conscious controlled way of breathing is said to influence a person's mental, emotional or physical state.
Straw breathing or Pursed lip breathing technique can quickly reduce anxiety and panic, increase feelings of calm and relaxation and can help one think more clearly. This technique is quite simple and in 5 minutes you will start noticing the difference. If you have a straw with you, you can use it but this can be done even without an actual straw.
This is an easy to do technique for slowing down a person's breathing and getting more air into their lungs and also releasing the trapped air from the lungs. According to Medical News Today, with regular practice, it can help strengthen the lungs and make them work more efficiently.
This is how you can do it:
Sit comfortably with your back straight, face, neck and shoulders relaxed.
If you have a straw (with a small diameter) with you, keep it ready in your hand.
Inhale fully through your nose and then put the straw in your mouth and exhale fully and slowly through the straw. Make sure you exhale fully, be gentle; do not force the breath out.
If you don’t have the straw with you, you can make the shape of your lips as if you are holding a straw in your mouth. Inhale slowly and fully, and exhale gently through the imaginary straw in your mouth.
Inhale through your nose again, then exhale through the actual/imaginary straw in your mouth.
Try to breathe down into your abdomen. Feel the rising movement of your abdomen as you inhale, and falling movement of the abdomen as you exhale.
Next you can include some counts - for example, inhale for the count of 4 and exhale a little longer, say for the count of 6-8. Continue with this practice for about 5 minutes.
Watch this video guide and do the straw breathing along with the video:
Some more tips:
Try to pause slightly after the exhalation to allow the inhalation to start naturally, do not force it or strain. Just wait for the feeling of the inhalation to come spontaneously.
You may start to become aware of the natural pause of stillness between the breath. Feel the sensation of calm and profound stillness in these pauses.
After about 5 minutes, make some observations. How much has your breathing slowed down? Do you still feel anxiety? Are you feeling calmer? What is your experience following this practice?
This breathing technique is also recommended by the American Lung Association to help with shortness of breath from COPD, asthma or other lung diseases.
How straw breathing helps anxiety
Straw breathing can help you regain a feeling of calm and can be a very useful tool for anxiety. It is like a quick healing balm. When you’re stressed, angry or panicked, you tend to take short, shallow breaths that can increase the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the “fight or flight” response. Whereas the slow, gentle, deep breathing has the effect of stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for the “rest and digest response” or “relaxation response” - resting, calm state and balances the effects of the sympathetic nervous system, which triggers anxiety and adrenaline. Here are some more yoga practices like asana (yoga postures) and mudras (hand positions) that can help you with anxiety.
Change the behavioral patterns
If you observe that you have an easy tendency to get anxious at the drop of a hat—if every small thing triggers anxiety in you, it is better to address the issue at a deeper level. Here the breathing practice and meditation can help you a lot. Try a FREE Breath & Meditation Online Session With a Live Instructor. In this session, you will also learn more about the SKY Breath Meditation that has shown to address the roots of anxiety as per many scientific and experiential studies evidences.
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For more about other breathing exercises read this article.
Sending you blessings for more calm and peace of your mind!
Sejal Shah, E-RYT 500 Sri Sri Yoga Teacher, YACEP, C-IAYT, Meditation Teacher, Happiness expert, NYU Post Graduate Medical School approved Yoga-CME retreat facilitator, Mind-Body Wellness Writer, Homeopath. She can be followed on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
