11 Breathing Techniques for Relaxation You Can Try Anywhere

When you’re anxious, you might notice your breathing getting faster. This type of breathing is called chest breathing. It increases your heart rate, tenses your muscles, and upsets your oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. The effects can make you feel hot and dizzy, leading to anxiety and panic attacks. Learning various breathing techniques for relaxation can be incredibly helpful in these situations.

When you feel overwhelmed by a situation, you can use your breath to help you relax. You can also use breathing techniques to help you wind down and relax for sleep. Here are 11 breathing techniques to calm your mind and body.

Diaphragmatic breathing techniques 

The first set of techniques focuses on deep breaths to calm your body. Diaphragmatic breathing takes longer to fill your lungs with air and can help you slowly release it.

1. Belly Breaths 

When most people get anxious, they’ll take quick and shallow breaths. Doing so can exhaust your mind and strain your body. Belly breaths, or diaphragmatic breaths, have you intentionally take long, deep breaths to slow your heart rate and reduce your blood pressure.

Here’s how to do this technique:

• Find a comfortable spot: You can perform diaphragmatic breathing in any position. Get comfortable in a supportive chair, bed, or floor with a pillow.
• Place your hands on your stomach and chest: Feeling the breaths can help you do the method correctly.
• Breathe through your nose: As you breathe, feel your stomach fill with air and watch your hands rise. The one on your stomach should increase more than on your chest.

You can do this breathing technique a few times to focus your mind and reduce your heart rate.

2. Focus breathing 

Focus breathing is similar to meditation. It works by imagining your stress leaving your body as you perform it.

• Close your eyes: Doing so can keep your mind focused on the task.
• Take a few deep breaths: Clear your mind as much as possible.
• Breathe in slowly: As you breathe, imagine the air is peaceful and calm.
• Breathe out: Picture any tension or stress leaving your body through the air.
• Think or say an affirmation: Adding words to your focused breathing can help you remain calm. Consider “I breathe in my peace.”

Continue this breathing technique for 10 minutes or until your body and mind feel calm.

3. Lion’s breath

Stress can put unnecessary strain on your heart. The lion’s breath technique can help regulate your heart rate and calm your mind and body.

• Sit in a comfortable position: You’ll want to be able to sit up to make the most of the exercise, but you should still be comfortable so you can relax.
• Fill your diaphragm: As you breathe, place a hand on your stomach to feel your diaphragm filling with air.
• Breathe out like a lion: When you can’t breathe further, open your mouth wide, stick your tongue down toward your chin, and breathe out in a quick and forceful burst with a “ha” sound from deep within your body.

It might seem strange initially, but breathing techniques like this can relieve tension, increase circulation, and help relieve mental stress. Check out the video below for a full explanation and demonstration of the lion’s breath technique and its complementary yoga pose.

Timed Breathing 

These techniques involve counting as you breathe to stay mindful and focus on calming your nerves.

4. Equal time breathing 

This breathing technique is what the name suggests – you’ll focus on timing your breaths to even them out and calm your nervous system. Over time, it allows you to increase the length of your breathing in stressful situations to stay calm and centered.

• Sit down somewhere comfortable: It can be on a chair, a bed, or a floor.
• Count as you breathe in: Think of numbers as you breathe through your nose. You want to space the numbers evenly as you take a deep breath. To start, try counting to five.
• Match the number as you breathe out: If you breathe in for a count of five, breathe out as you count to five. Doing so helps even out your breathing.

When you can control your breaths, it signals to your mind and body that you’re entering a relaxed state and no longer need to panic. Practice this breathing outside of stressful situations, and you’ll keep improving it. Before you know it, you can make each breath last 10 seconds.

5. 4-7-8 breathing

This breathing technique can draw your mind to the present by focusing on counting as you breathe.

• Get comfortable: You can sit in a comfortable chair or lay down on a bed or couch — whatever is comfortable for you to focus on.
• Position your tongue: Place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth and keep it there as you breathe.
• Breathe out: Let your breath go through your mouth to prepare for the new breathing pattern.
• Inhale through your nose: Keep your mouth closed and mentally count to four as you breathe in.
• Hold your breath: Try to hold your breath for seven seconds.
• Exhale through your mouth: Try to breathe out for eight seconds.

Repeat the exercise a few times to feel the effects.

Physically Interactive Breathing 

These breathing techniques encourage deep breathing by interacting with other body parts as you perform them.

6. Progressive muscle relaxation

For this breathing technique, you tense and release different muscle groups to calm your body, relieving symptoms of stress or anxiety.

• Lie down: Lying down will help your body fully relax.
• Start with a few deep breaths: Doing so will help you center your mind.
• Work your way up: Start with your feet. Tense the muscles as you breathe in slowly. Relax them as you breathe out. Do the same for your calves, legs, abdominals, and other muscle groups as you travel up your body. End with your face.

When you purposefully tense your muscles, you’ll notice more relief when you breathe out and release them. This exercise encourages you to be mindful by focusing on only one body part at a time.

7. Five-finger breathing 

This technique is excellent for kids who struggle to understand deep breathing but can also be great for adults who need something quick and straightforward to calm their minds and body.

• Hold out your hand: Spread out your fingers. Hold your hand in front of you, or set it on a table or smooth surface.
• Breathe while tracing your fingers: Use the pointer finger from the other hand and slowly trace it along your spread fingers. Inhale as you go up the side of your finger and exhale down the other side. Go from your thumb to your pinky and then go back again.

Try to keep your tracing slow. If you need to, ask someone you trust to trace your fingers to ensure you can calm your breathing. If you’re still stressed, try deep breathing while massaging your hand to create a better sense of calm.

8. Alternate nostril breathing

Alternate nostril breathing can help you feel calm and centered and is a favorite of yoga practitioners.

• Cover one nostril: Place your thumb over your nostril so your breath only goes through the opposite nostril.
• Breathe out the alternate nostril: After breathing in as much air as possible, switch the nostril you’re plugging and breathe out. If you inhale via your left nostril, you’ll cover it to exhale out your right one.

Switch back and forth between nostrils to focus your mind. It helps you stay energized without feeling anxious.

9. Pursed-lip breathing 

This breathing technique helps you take deep, intentional breaths to reduce anxiety’s physical and mental symptoms. It’s often used to help patients with respiratory diseases but can be a valuable tool to help shallow and quick breathing from stress.

• Sit comfortably: Keep your neck and shoulders relaxed.
• Inhale through your nose: Breathe in slowly while keeping your mouth closed. 
• Exhale through pursed lips: Take a few moments to breathe out through puckered lips.

Practicing this breathing technique when stressed can help you regulate your breaths and stay calmer during challenging situations.

Meditative Breathing 

These techniques are based on meditation and gently controlling your body and state of mind.

10. Mantra meditation

Mindfulness, meditation, and breathing go hand in hand and can be an excellent way to relax.

• Choose a mantra: Select a calming word, sound, or phrase. A common one is “om.” Others are “Exhaling tension. Inhaling peace,” and “Calm.”
• Take deep breaths while repeating the phrase: Take deep breaths while keeping the mantra in your mind. Use the mantra to calm your breathing.

Mindfulness is a learned skill, and it may take some practice. Letting your brain wander is easy, but mindfulness is about regaining focus. If your mind wanders from the mantra, gently bring your attention back to your breath and then your chosen word again.

11. Resonance Frequency breathing (Coherent breathing)

Resonance breathing is a technique that allows you to gently take control of your breathing, reduce a rapid heart rate, and calm your body and mind.

It aims to decrease your breathing rate to around six breaths per minute to help calm your nervous system and promote relaxation. You can achieve this with a four-second inhale and a six-second exhale and also enjoy the benefits of an extended exhalation.

• Sit or lie down: Choose a quiet place to relax and close your eyes.
• Inhale through your nose: Keep your mouth closed with your tongue lightly resting on the roof of your mouth. Breathe in through your nose for four seconds. Practice belly breathing without filling your lungs too much
• Exhale out through your nose: Breathe the air out gently and slowly for a count of six seconds.

As an alternative to the 4-6 pattern, you can try five seconds in and five seconds out, which will still allow you to breathe at the same rate of six breaths per minute. Don’t worry about getting it perfect. The overall objective is to breathe slowly and gently.

Do the technique for several minutes and pause to see how your body feels before moving forward. Take a rest and breathe normally when you feel you need to.

Check out the video below to learn about the benefits of resonance breathing.

Using breathing techniques to relax

Using breathing techniques when stressed or anxious can relax you. You can also use breathing techniques to calm your mind and body when you want to fall asleep.

All of these breathing techniques can help reduce your body’s fight or flight response and calm your nervous system. They help you shift from sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) dominance to parasympathetic (rest and digest) dominance.

Try different options to help you find the right way to control your breathing and help you be at peace.

If you enjoyed learning these breathing techniques for relaxation, you may also want to read about how to use mindfulness and movement in yoga for stress relief and about these different types of meditation. Also, find out the scientifically proven ways working out can help you reduce your anxiety levels.

Those who struggle to get a restful night’s sleep may also want to discover the best natural supplements for sleep.