When we think of breathing techniques, we probably imagine something very complex, such as people spending hours in the mountains staring into nothingness and just exhaling. And inhaling. And doing that all over again.
In reality, breathing techniques aren’t just easy — they are a practical and brilliant way to calm our mind and body, and don’t take hours to master or implement.
Once you learn breathing exercises proposed by the Liven app, you can successfully handle high-intensity situations and decrease your stress levels in minutes. Stick around to learn the most effective techniques.
The Science Behind It
Why does breathing work, and what’s so special about something we do all the time? Well, it’s not just about breathing but our control over it. Let’s look at what and why.
We have an autonomic nervous system, which has two branches:
The sympathetic nervous system. This one is responsible for our fight or flight response and kicks in when we face a stressor. It mobilizes our resources when we need it most.
The parasympathetic nervous system. Unlike the one before, it’s about resting and slowing down. Often also called an eat-and-digest system, it allows us to regroup and recover.
Let’s do a quick observation test: do you remember that, when you are stressed, your breathing becomes faster and shallower? Fortunately, there’s another way around it. With breathing, you can switch between these modes on your own.
Breathing allows you to activate your vagus nerve, which signals for our parasympathetic system to start working. As a result, you get:
- A slower heart rate
- Lower blood pressure
- Less muscle tension
- A calmer mind.
Now’s the time for another scientific factor behind it, oxygen and carbon dioxide balance, which can affect how you feel. That shallow breathing we mentioned? It can make us feel dizzy and even more panicked. On the other hand, conscious breathing helps regulate this exchange, ensuring our brain and body get the right amount of oxygen while preventing symptoms of hyperventilation.
Breathing Techniques 101: The Four Goals
Breathing can help set you up for different objectives, not just relax your mind. Here are the four techniques that you can try in various situations.
Deep Relaxation: 4-7-8 Breathing
Best for: Calming anxiety and winding down before sleep.
This strategy can quickly help you calm your mind by slowing your heart rate. Here’s how it’s done:
Step 1. Inhale deeply through your nose for 4 seconds.
Step 2. Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
Step 3. Exhale slowly through your mouth for 8 seconds.
Repeat until you feel calmer or until your mind is quiet entirely. This strategy works because it activates the parasympathetic nervous system we mentioned earlier, reminding your body to pause.
Focus and Clarity: Box Breathing
Best for: Improving concentration, reducing stress before a big task.
Another name for this exercise is square breathing, and it’s often used in the military or sport to help individuals stay calm and alert. So it doesn’t just relax you into an oblivion but also gives a vision. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1. Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds.
Step 2. Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
Step 3. Exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds.
Step 4. Hold your breath again for 4 seconds.
Repeat it for a few minutes until your thinking becomes more organized and collected. Box breathing regulates the oxygen flow, preventing shallow breathing and balancing air flow.
Instant Stress Relief: The Physiological Sigh
Best for: Quickly calming the nervous system when overwhelmed.
This technique is backed by neuroscience and works by restoring proper oxygen and carbon dioxide balance. If you don’t have time for a longer breathing exercise, this one still works quite well. These are the key steps:
Step 1. Take a deep inhale through the nose.
Step 2. Before exhaling, take a second quick inhale to inflate the lungs fully.
Step 3. Slowly exhale through the mouth (long and controlled).
Repeat 2-3 times. While it may sound unusual and not quite like the exercises we mentioned above, it’s an effective way to give your nervous system a quick reload.
Emotional Balance: Alternate Nostril Breathing
Best for: Grounding yourself, easing emotional rollercoasters.
Just like the activity before, this one’s not much known for the public because it’s not always discussed — even though there’s great scientific evidence that it helps. Rooted in yoga practice, this breathing activity brings our nervous system into emotional balance. Let’s try it out:
Step 1. Close your right nostril with your thumb and inhale through your left nostril.
Step 2. Close your left nostril with your ring finger and exhale through your right nostril.
Step 3. Inhale through the right nostril, then switch again and exhale through the left.
Repeat this exercise for a few minutes. It’s claimed to balance the right and left sides of your brain and create a sense of calm.
Long-Term Mental Benefits of Breathing Activities
Learning new habits takes time and effort, that much is true for all things, even if they’re concerning something as simple and (hopefully) pleasurable as breathing for relaxation and focus. However, adding breathing exercises into your daily schedule, even one per day, has numerous psychological benefits that can’t be overstated:
- Reduced baseline stress levels
- Better emotional regulation
- Improved thinking
- More stable and satisfactory sleep
- Improved resilience.
Even just five minutes a day can make a difference, and your well-being is totally worth this extra effort.
Leveraging the Potential of Breathing Activities
Breathing techniques are a quick and effective way to ground yourself in the present moment or release stress when facing a challenging situation. Although adopting them requires some mental focus and habit, they will pay off in better emotional, thinking, and behavioral dimensions. Some of the best tools are the ones you don’t have to keep in your pocket — your mind is a great keeper in itself.
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