My favorite breathing exercises.

Breathing.

It’s the first thing we do when we arrive in the world and the last thing we do before we leave.

It happens automatically 26,000 times a day without us even having to pay any attention to it, yet breathing is one of the only autonomic systems in our body that we can control, if we choose to.

The more stressed you feel, the faster you breathe, and your brain will notice this and read it as a signal that things are not going well. That fast, shallow breathing which happens when you’re stressed is effectively telling your brain that you’re running from a lion.

But the reverse of this rule is also true: if you breathe slowly, you’re giving your brain a signal that you’re in a place of calm.

This very simple principle helps form the foundation of what we do at Valvo Health.

Studies have even shown that the right kind of breathing can reduce our perception of pain. Both the pace at which you breathe and how deeply you breathe changes your stress response.

If all you do for one minute is slow your breathing down and aim for six breaths (one breath is in and out) in that minute, it will reduce the stress state and stimulate the thrive state.

Breathing properly encourages full oxygen exchange, and that’s been shown to help with a whole variety of conditions, whether it is pain, depression or stress. If you wake up stressed and anxious and you’ve not slept well, the simple act of doing some deep-breathing practices will start altering your biology and move you closer to thrive state. Breathing is a wonderful therapy after experiencing a stressful incident.

It’s a way of telling your brain that things are OK, even if you don’t feel that they are.

Methods are many. Principles are few.

There are a million different ways you can apply breathwork into your daily routine. The best training practices are based less on the “what” and more on the “why” and “how.”

If you’re new to breathwork or unsure how it can be incorporated into your daily routine and training, book a call with me HERE.

With that said, there are a few breathing exercises I like to use for beginners that you can start with right away.

The Breathing Menu

3-4-5 Breath

I find that this breathing exercise can be extremely effective for clients who are prone to anxiety or stress. It could hardly be simpler.

• Breathe in for three seconds

• Hold for four seconds

• Breathe out for five seconds

When your out-breath is longer than your in-breath, you reduce the activation of your stress state and encourage your body to move into a thrive state.

You can do a few rounds of this breath or extend it to take five minutes. Listen to your body and see what works for you.

Box Breathing

This can be done at any time, but my clients report to me that it’s especially useful just before bedtime.

• Breathe in for four seconds

• Hold for four seconds

• Breathe out for four seconds

• Then hold for another four

Box breathing helps lower stress levels, calm the nervous system and take your mind away from distracting thoughts. It’s reported that Navy Seals use this method to control their stress levels.

Priming Breathing

I’m a big Tony Robbins fan and have been using his patented “Priming” breathing technique for years. It’s based on an ancient yoga technique called Kapalabhati Pranayama breathing.

In Robbins' version, begin by sitting straight with your eyes closed. Inhale deeply through your nostrils while simultaneously lifting your arms in a shoulder press motion, and then exhale forcefully through your nostrils while bringing your arms back to your body, palms up. Perform the breaths in quick succession.

He does three sets of 30 with brief breaks in between.

This can further be broken down into three sets of 10 repeated three times.

When starting to learn the exercise, you can begin with three sets of 10 and work your way up.

The exercise should leave you feeling energized and I love to use it first thing in the morning or as a pre-workout activation drill to get my nervous and respiratory systems ready for the session ahead.

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See yah out there,

Ryan