Best Breathing Techniques for Stress Relief

While this seems obvious, it's still something that many people need reminding of. When we breathe through our noses, we naturally are forced to take slower breaths, since the nostrils' opening is not as big as the mouth's. Deep breaths through the nostrils are an ideal starting point for learning and practicing breathing techniques for relaxation.

Have you heard of High Intensity Interval Training? Athletes that perform this type of training are trained to only breathe through their nose in between sets of very intense exercise. This forces their bodies to be conditioned to de-escalate stress levels within a very short amount of time.

Now, you probably won't be doing any intense cardio when you're performing deep breathing. But consistent practice is always ideal when remembering to keep your deep breathing through your nose.

This technique is ideal when in physical stress or in a state of stress that is related to anger. Take in a deep breath, slowly. Fill your lungs and give your body as much as oxygen as possible. Hold. Exhale quickly through your mouth. Continue for a minute to several minutes until your body feels calm.

This technique is useful during workouts. For example, if you're lifting weights, use this breathing technique in between sets. This will help lower your heart rate faster and prepare you for the next round.

Also, the focus on doing this technique correctly distracts you from other stress inducers. If you are focusing more energy on breathing, you'll be focusing less energy on external stress factors.

The most popular technique of breathing exercise - and the easiest. It's simple. Find a comfortable position, laying down or standing up. Now, take in a deep breath. Fill your lungs. The more oxygen, the better. Breathe in deep, hold it for at least three seconds, and exhale through your nose. The trick here is to continue until your body is fully calm. Many times, individuals will stop deep, slow breaths after the first minute or so. Continuous, deep breathing that lasts several minutes is ideal. This gives the body time to adjust and become calm.

It sounds crazy, but the angle at which your body is positioned can affect how your body is able to utilize oxygen. Your body is using more energy when standing, therefore not reaching its full oxygenation potential. When laying on a soft surface, for example a couch or a bed, the chest cavity is not supported by a firm surface. Laying on the floor provides a hard surface for your body and allows you to take full advantage of deep and relaxing breathing.

Tip: lay somewhere quiet where you can close your eyes. If you can, and if you enjoy the outdoors, lying somewhere flat in nature works wonders!

This particular technique comes off as a little counter intuitive. Choose a spot to lie still, and while breathing slowly and balanced, tenses and relief your muscles. For example, lie on your back. Take in a deep breath, flex and tense your arms. Hold for three to five seconds. As you exhale slowly, relieve your arms and relax.

The constant tensing and relaxing of muscles in your body will condition your body to know "how" to relax. This technique may take some time to get used to. Most people are not used to focusing on breathing right as well as flexing their muscles at the same time. But with practice this can be a very useful technique to aid in long-term relaxation and wellness.

This technique is more of a mental process than a physical one. While performing a deep breathing exercise, close your eyes and visualize something that makes you relax. This is otherwise known as finding your "happy place."

For me, it's water. I visualize a waterfall or the ocean. I also try to hear the sounds of water, such as a stream or the waves of the sea.

This sounds simple, but you'd be surprised at how many people cannot perform this technique properly. Most of us are not trained to visualize a relaxing image for an extended period of time, or at least a time long enough to gives us the desired state of peace. With practice, you can achieve the ability to keep calm in any stressful situation just by having the right visual in your head ready to use.