Breathing Techniques to Slow Down

Our breath is our lifeforce, contained in a single action is the essential building block to our consciousness. It is easy to lose track of our breathing, one minute aware, the next moving thoughtlessly through life again.

Our body responds powerfully to the differentiation in our breath patterns, relaxing when feeling full of air, and tightening when out of breath.

In moments of stress and panic, breathing shortens and speeds up exponentially, restricting our body and carrying less oxygen to the brain. Our body responds with continuous panic, until we slow down our breathing and gain control of our mind.

Square breath is one way to slow down breathing. To do this, inhale to a count of four, hold to a count of four, exhale to a count of four, and hold again to a count of four. To maintain the cycle, it is necessary to place attention solely on the breath, and to maintain awareness of the body’s interaction with the mind.

Another yogic breathing technique is alternate nostril breathing where you plug the right nostril while breathing in through the left, hold, then release through the right, then reverse the process by breathing in through the right nostril while holding the left, then letting go and plugging the right. This also helps to balance the right and left hemispheres of the brain, enabling more creativity and analytical thinking as well as activities.

If these techniques are too complicated, you can place awareness on your breath and think ‘inhale’ with each inhale, and ‘exhale’ with each exhale. This helps the mind place attention on the breath, steadying a chaotic mind and body.

You can also try a visualization technique. For this, you picture yourself inhaling golden air, and exhaling dark energies from your body. As you keep inhaling golden air and exhaling dark air, you begin to feel the chaotic feelings clear, welcoming in healing energies and relaxation.

For each of these techniques, practice them for several minutes until the mind is calm. Remember, our breath is our lifeforce, the anchor to our consciousness and the peace to our panic.