A beginners' guide to breathing

I’m fully aware how patronising it can be when someone says “take a deep breath” - however, if you’ve ever stopped to do it, you’ll know how soothing it can feel.

Although you’re breathing right now, you might be a beginner when it comes to breathing in certain benefits. If you have a few minutes, try this…

First, find a comfortable position and just notice your natural breathing pattern.

Is it fast, slow, shallow, deep, soft, forceful?

Where is the most movement happening?

Try to allow the breath to happen spontaneously as it does all day, every day. As soon as we focus our mind on something we have a natural instinct to control it, but just for a couple of minutes, can you resist that urge and just observe each inhale, every exhale?

Now try to consciously lengthen your inhales and exhales so you slow your breathing down. It might be helpful to count for 1, 2, 3, 4 as you breathe in, and the same as you breathe out. This helps to keep your breath balanced and smooth and also makes it harder for your mind to wander to far away places.

Try to breathe using one continuous cycle of air moving in and out of your body. Try to breathe in a way that mimics the waves of the ocean lapping against the shore, so the inhale flows naturally into the exhale and vice-versa.

If you notice that you have a tendency to hold the air in the very top of your chest, try to relax a little so you draw the air a little deeper towards the bottom of your ribs and back of your lungs. If you’re new to this, it might be helpful to place a hand on your low ribs to feel this gentle inflation. As you exhale, emphaise a sense of relief or release - almost as if your whole body is sighing softly.

Do this 10 times.

How do you feel?

If you’ve ever been to a yoga class you’ll know that there’s a big emphasis on the breath. It’s what differentiates yoga from a simple fitness class. We’re not trying to get out of breath, we’re trying to get in to breath. Apologies for the horribly cheesy pun, but it’s true.

Unfortunately, when we try and focus too much on breathing in a controlled or rhythmic way, sometimes things can start to feel robotic or mechanical - and not at all relaxing.

It’s important to note that relaxing isn’t always the goal - we can also breathe in a way that makes us feel more energised, or more powerful, but regardless - breathing needs to feel good. If you ever find your stress levels increase because you’re trying too hard to breathe “properly” then try and let that effort fade and focus on adding a feel good factor to your inhales and exhales instead.