BREATHING TECHNIQUES��HELPS TO EASE ANXIETY AND CALM OUR MINDS & HEARTS

RAINBOW BEND BREATH

Great for slowing down, releasing tension, and giving your body some love.

• Inhale with your chin parallel to the floor.
• Exhale, dropping your chin toward your chest.
• Breathe deeply and slowly for three breaths.
• Then, begin to roll your neck around in a slow circle, inhaling and exhaling at the same point on each circle. Roll three times in this direction.
• Now change directions to roll your head in the opposite direction, still breathing throughout the circle.

FIGURE 8 BREATH

This is a great way to sync your movement with your breathing, helping you to relax, focus, and shift out of your monkey mind.

• With your pointer finger, begin tracing the shape of a figure eight on a flat surface (like a table, desk, or even your palm).
• Start your finger in the middle and as you create one loop of the figure eight, inhale.
• As you cross over to the enter, being to slowly exhale and draw the other side of the figure eight.
• Repeat for five breaths.

BOX BREATHING

This specific breathing exercise is used all around the world and helps to calm our nervous system, moving us out of the “fight or flight” state into calmness. And it’s easy to do!

• With your pointer finger, begin tracing a square from the lower right corner to the lower left corner. Breathe in and count to four as you trace.
• Trace up the square’s left side and exhale out, counting to four.
• Trace the square’s top from left to right, breathing in and counting to four.
• Trace the square’s side from top right to bottom right, exhaling out and counting to four.

4-7-8 BREATH

This breath, while it can take time and practice to do with ease, can be a highly effective way to destress and prepare for sleep.

• Inhale through your nose for a count of four.
• Hold the breath for a count of seven.
• Exhale to a count of eight.
• Don’t focus too much on trying to extend your breath to these lengths. For now, do what feels accessible. Know that with practice, your lung capacity will naturally extend and this breath will become easier with time.
• Repeat five times.

I SPY BREATH

This breath is designed to help connect you to the physical space you are in.

• Whether you are in a room or outside, pick a color to focus on.
• Say out loud each object you see that is that color and take a breath.
• Practice this for 30 seconds, slowly scanning the room, taking a full breath each time you see that color.

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IF-THEN BREATH

This is a great way to change something that bothers you in something that soothes you. Pick an activity in your everyday life that tends to bring a feeling of frustration, impatience, or irritation.

• Decide on which object or activity to focus on, and say: IF (blank), THEN I breathe (ex: IF the phone rings, THEN I breathe).
• Practice taking slow, soothing breaths.
• Breathe in, listening to the sound of your inhale.
• Breathe out slowly, hearing the hum of your exhale.
• Every time that irritating thing happens, take a breath just like that.

BEE BREATH

In Bee Breath, we inhale normally and then exhale while humming to make it sound like there’s a friendly bumblebee with us.

• Inhale normally.
• As you exhale, make a low humming sound.
• Continue for 10 breaths, feeling the vibrations in your mouth and chest. Where else can you feel the vibration in your body?

OCEAN BREATH

In yoga, this is called Ujayii, which means “victorious”. It is also called Ocean Breath because of the way it sounds.

• As you inhale, make a slight constriction in the back of your throat or roof of your mouth until you hear a hissing or ocean sound.
• Exhale, maintaining this tone in your mouth or throat.
• Repeat for 10 breaths.

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COLOR BREATH

This breath is perfect for when you want to shift out of your thinking mind and into your imagination, creativity, and sensation.

• Choose two colors – one to inhale, and one to exhale. Be specific! (Ex: blush pink and emerald green)
• Inhale slowly through your nose, visualizing your inhale color.
• Pause at the top of your breath for however long you are comfortable, then slowly begin to exhale through your nose while visualizing your exhale color.
• Repeat for 5 breaths.

COOLING BREATH

Use this breath when you’re losing your cool, when it’s hot out, or when you need to reign in your focus.

• Make a small “o” shape with your mouth.
• Inhale and exhale, noticing how your breathing slows and lengthens.
• Feel the coolness of the air moving in and out.
• Repeat 10 times.

ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATH

In yoga, this is called Nadi Shodhana, or “channel cleansing” breath. Use it when you need to balance, clear your energy, or transition from one activity into another.

• Bring your right hand to your face and place your thumb and peace fingers on either side of your nose.
• Press your thumb against your right nostril.
• Breathe in and out for three breaths.
• Release, then press your peace fingers against your left nostril and take three breaths.
• Now, plug the right side as you inhale, then reverse and plug the left side as you exhale.
• Continue to inhale and exhale slowly, alternating nostrils each time.

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COMING HOME BREATH

Use this breath to come home to your body and come home to yourself.

• Place your hands on your belly, breathing into your hands for 5 breaths.
• Bring your hands up onto the side of your ribs or on your heart, breathing into your hands for 5 breaths.
• Finally, place your hands on your shoulders and breathe into your hands for 5 breaths.
• Let your hands rest at your sides and notice how you feel.

EVEN BREATH

Use this breath when you need to focus or relax. For this breath, the duration of the inhale matches the duration of the exhale. Feel free to change the duration based on needs.

• Breathe in for a count of three.
• Breathe out for a count of three.
• Repeat 10 times.

ORBITING BREATH

This breath is great for relaxing, calming nerves, and reducing stress.

• Begin to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth while you count the length of your natural inhales and exhales.
• Continue to inhale normally.
• As you exhale, lengthen the duration of your out breath (ex: if your inhaling at a count of four, exhale to a count of five or more).
• Repeat for 10 breaths.

ANCHOR BREATH

Use this breath when you need to center and ground. No matter how rough the water is on top of the ocean, the ocean floor is always calm.

• Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly. These are your anchor points.
• Imagine your body as a boat deep out in the middle of the ocean. The waves surrounding you are your thoughts.
• As you inhale, notice your belly and chest rise.
• As you exhale, imagine your belly and heart are both anchors descending to the bottom of the ocean floor.
• Repeat for 10 breaths.

4 PART BREATH

This is a beautiful breath to expand awareness, giving attention to each part of the breathing cycle.

• Inhale normally.
• Notice the pause at the top of your inhale.
• Exhale.
• Notice the pause at the bottom of your exhale.
• Follow these four parts for at least 4 breaths: Inhale; Pause; Exhale; Pause.

INTEGRATION BREATH

This is a wonderful breath to balance, center, and slow down.

• With your palms facing up, breathe in. Slowly lift your palms to the sky for the length of your inhale, imagining anything that you wish to be free from leaving your palms.
• When you are ready to exhale, flip your hands over so that your palms face down. Slowly lower your hands for the length of your exhale, imagining everything that you need or desire is anchoring into your body.
• Repeat 10 times.

TENSION RELEASE BREATH

This breath relieves mental, emotional, and physical tension. It can be highly effective at relieving jaw tension, too.

• Breathe in normally.
• Exhale as you blow air strongly through your lips, like a horse.
• Repeat 5 times.

SPINE SOOTHING BREATH

Also known as cat-cow, this breath is a wonderful way to relieve physical, mental, and emotional tension.

• Come onto your hands and knees, with your wrists below your shoulders and knees below your hips.
• As you inhale, lift your gaze and tailbone up to the sky, softening your belly down.
• As you breathe out, point the crown of your head and your tailbone down toward the floor, back rounded to the sky.
• Continue breathing slowly for the length of each movement.
• Repeat for 10 breaths.

* This same movement can be done seated, with feet on the floor and hands on your knees.

CLEANSING BREATH

This breath is great for processing emotions and supporting the transitional moments in your day.

• Take a deep breath in.
• As you exhale, let out a nice loud sigh.
• Feel your inhale come effortlessly and softly.
• Repeat 5 times, making your exhales longer than your inhales.