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Breathe better, stress less

15 Jun

Often overlooked, breathing is a real stress reliever that you can use at any time. To soothe your mind, calm your emotions and clear your thoughts, here are 3 types of easy-to-do relaxation exercises.

  1. 1. Release tension with reverse breathing
  • Sit or lie down to release tension in the diaphragm while strengthening the abdominal muscles. 
  • Inhale as much as possible by retracting the belly under the ribs and exhale through the mouth by contracting the abdominal muscles. 
  • Repeat the series 5 to 10 times.
  1. 2. Manage your emotions with heart coherence
  • Use the heart coherence biofeedback technique to regulate your heartbeat with a regular breathing pattern
  • Breathe in deeply to the count of 5 and breathe out slowly to the count of 5
  • Repeat the series 30 times
  1. 3. Soothe yourself with alternate nostril breathing
  • Sit on a chair, on the floor or on a cushion.
  • Block your right nostril with your thumb and inhale for 4 seconds through your left nostril.
  • Hold your breath for 16 seconds and exhale for 8 seconds
  • Repeat, this time blocking the left nostril.
  • Repeat the series 10 times at first and gradually increase


So, on your marks... ready? Breathe in!