Two simple breathing exercises that will help your health and wellbeing

Read Time: 2 minutes

Known as 4-7-8 breathing and resonant breathing, trying one of these simple exercises will help you to calm any stress, anxiety or panic.

4-7-8 Breathing

This technique, made famous by Dr Andrew Weil, places the body into a state of deep relaxation. I use it on long flights to help fall asleep.

READ MORE:
* How to stop holiday anxiety ruining your summer break
* Why practising breathing exercises will actually improve sleep and reduce anxiety
* We tried alternate nostril breathing
* We tried a lung exercise class

• Take a breath in, then exhale through your mouth with a “whoosh” sound.

ADVERTISEMENTAdvertise with Stuff

• Close the mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
• Hold for a count of seven.
• Exhale completely through your mouth, witha whoosh, to the count of eight.
• Repeat this cycle for at least four breaths.

Weil offers step-by-step instructions on YouTube, which have been viewed more than four million times.https://www.youtube.com/embed/p8fjYPC-k2k

Resonant (coherent) breathing

A calming practice that places the heart, lungs and circulation into a state of coherence, where the systems of the body are working at peak efficiency.

There is no more essential technique, and none more basic.

• Sit up straight, relax the shoulders and belly, and exhale.
• Inhale softly for 5.5 seconds, expanding the belly as air fills the bottom of the lungs.
• Without pausing, exhale softly for 5.5 seconds, bringing the belly in as the lungs empty. Each breath should feel like a circle.
• Repeat at least 10 times, more if possible.

Several apps offer timers and visual guides. James’s favourites are Paced Breathing and My Cardiac Coherence, both of which are free. James tries to practise this technique as often as possible.

This story was originally published by  https://thrivemagazine.co.nz/ and is republished with permission.