Controlling how you breathe is being the DJ responsible for the soundtrack to your life. Something or someone will dictate your soundtrack if you do not practice conscious breathing. Our breath is the mechanism that controls our stress response. The way that music can powerfully elicit powerful emotions, the breath does the same, only in a more profound way.

Due to the huge role our breath can play in helping us relax, I have written this blog to highlight ways to breathe. To learn more about this, kindly scroll down and continue reading to learn more.

Breathing Exercises

All you need is a relatively healthy pair of lungs, your breath, and 10 minutes or less. That's why I bring you these 3 techniques of different difficulty levels and will allow you to find calm without spending money on a spa.

In your bedroom, office, or anywhere negativity manages to intrude, consider these three techniques to help you stay calm and move on.

1. Equal Breathing

How it's done: Balance can do the body good, starting with breathing. To start, inhale for a count of four, then exhale for a count of four (all through the nose, which adds a natural resistance to the breath). Those more advanced in yoga may target breathing for a count of 6 or 8, with the same goal: calming the nervous system, increasing concentration, and reducing stress.

When it works best: Anytime, anywhere, but it's an especially effective technique before bed.  

2. Alternate Nostril Breathing 

How it's done: It's a yoga practitioner's best friend, as this breath is said to bring calm and balance and unite the right and left brain regions. Beginning in a comfortable meditation posture, grasp your right thumb, place it in your right nostril, and inhale deeply through your left nostril. 

Cover your left nostril at the peak of your inhalation, then exhale through your right nostril. Continue this pattern, inhaling through the right nostril, closing it with the right thumb, and exhaling through the left nostril.

When it works best: Anytime you're looking for focus and energization. Just don't try this exercise before bed. It's almost like a cup of coffee.

3. Progressive Relaxation 

How to do it: To relieve tension from head to toe, close your eyes and focus on tensing and relaxing each muscle group for two to three seconds each. Start with the feet and toes, then move to the knees, thighs, buttocks, chest, arms, hands, neck, jaw, and eyes (all while keeping your breath deep and slow).

If you have trouble doing this exercise, breathe in through the nose, count to 5 while tensing the muscles, and finally, let's breathe out through the mouth.

When it works best: at home, in the office, or even on the go.