5-Minute Breathing Exercises To Reduce Stress

Table of Content

Introduction

Breathing is essential to life, allowing our bodies to take in oxygen (needed for energy production) and expel carbon dioxide (a waste product). It also plays a role in controlling stress, improving sleep, and reducing pain. By controlling our breathing, we can go from feeling overwhelmed to calm down in minutes. In this post, we’ll read about how 5-minute breathing exercises can reduce stress and anxiety.

No time? No problem. These quick techniques can calm your mind, reduce anxiety, and restore balance anytime, anywhere. Here are some 5-minute breathing exercises you can do daily.

Humming Bee Breath

Humming Bee Breath, also known as Bharmari Pranayama, is a yogic breathing technique in which you make a humming sound like a bee as you exhale, which can help you slow your heart rate, think more clearly, and feel less irritable or stressed, as well as calm your nervous system and promote relaxation.

Benefits:

Calms the nervous system.
Promotes relaxation.
May help reduce stress, anxiety, and restlessness.
May improve sleep quality.
May help relieve nasal congestion and throat irritation.
May enhance auditory perception.
Some people use bee breath to relieve frustration, anxiety, and anger. Research shows that
It is best to practice in a place where you are free to hum.

To do this:

Sit comfortably with your back straight and close your eyes.
Place your index fingers on the tragus cartilage (the cartilage that partially covers your ear canal).
Breathe deeply through your nose.
As you exhale, gently press the cartilage and close your mouth to make a humming sound like a bee.
Repeat this breathing pattern 6-8 times.

Deep Breathing

Deep breathing exercises can help calm anxiety by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, triggering the relaxation response, and counteracting the effects of hyperventilation. Techniques such as the 4-7-8 method or diaphragmatic breathing can be used to slow breathing and promote relaxation.

Benefits:

Deep, slow breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for calming the body and promoting relaxation.
Anxiety can lead to hyperventilation, where you breathe too quickly and deeply, disrupting the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood. Deep breathing helps regulate this balance.
Deep breaths allow you to take in more oxygen, which can help reduce feelings of anxiety and promote a sense of calm.

To do this:

4-7-8 breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, and exhale for 8 seconds.
Diaphragmatic breathing: Focus on breathing from your belly, not your chest. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach, and as you breathe in, feel your stomach rise.
5-5-5 method: Inhale for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds, and exhale for 5 seconds.
Belly breathing: Take a deep breath through your nose, allowing your stomach to expand, and slowly exhale through your mouth.

Sitali breath

Sitali Pranayama, also known as cooling breath, is a yoga technique where you inhale through a curled tongue and exhale through the nose, which has a cooling effect on the body and mind, especially beneficial during hot weather or after strenuous activity.

Benefits:

It helps cool the body and mind, especially during hot weather or after strenuous activity.
It can help calm the mind and reduce stress and anxiety.
It can aid in digestion.
It can be helpful for hot flashes, and can also help reduce agitation or anger.

To do this:

Find a comfortable position: Sit comfortably with your spine straight and shoulders relaxed.
Make an “O” shape: Open your mouth and make an “O” shape with your lips.
Curl your tongue: Curl your tongue lengthwise into a straw shape and stick it out of your mouth.
Inhale through the tongue: Inhale deeply through a curled tongue as if drinking through a straw.
Exhale through the nose: Close your mouth, stick out your tongue, and exhale slowly and completely through your nostrils.
Repeat: Continue this cycle for a few minutes, gradually increasing the duration as you become more comfortable.
Finish: End the practice with several minutes of silent meditation.

Coordinated breathing

Coordinated breathing, also known as deep or diaphragmatic breathing, involves taking slow, deep breaths, usually 5-6 breaths per minute, to calm the body and reduce stress through its effect on the autonomic nervous system. By slowing down the rate of breathing and deepening the breaths, coordinated breathing helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the “rest and digest” response, thereby promoting relaxation and reducing stress.

Benefits:

Regular practice of coordinated breathing can help calm the nervous system, slow down the heart rate, lower blood pressure, and improve overall well-being.

To do this:

Find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down.

Close your eyes and focus on your breathing.

Take a deep breath through your nose, allowing your stomach to rise.

Breathe out slowly through your nose or mouth, letting your stomach fall.

Aim for 5-6 breaths per minute, with equal inhalation and exhalation times (for example, 6 seconds inhale, 6 seconds exhale).

You can practice for 5-30 minutes at a time.

Alternate nostril breathing

Alternate nostril breathing, also known as nadishodhana, is a yoga-based breathing technique that involves breathing in through one nostril while closing the other, alternating between the nostrils for each breath.

Benefits:

May help reduce stress and anxiety.
May improve lung function and respiratory endurance.
May lower heart rate and blood pressure.
May promote relaxation and improve focus.

To do this:

Sit comfortably with your spine straight.
Close your right nostril with your right thumb and exhale through your left nostril.
Take a deep breath through your left nostril.
Close your left nostril with your right ring finger and release your thumb, then exhale through your right nostril.
Inhale through your right nostril.
Close the right nostril with your thumb and release your ring finger, then exhale through the left nostril.
Continue alternating nostrils for several cycles, breathing deeply and evenly.

Why 5-Minute Breathing Exercises Work

5-minute breathing exercises work by calming the nervous system, reducing stress hormones, and promoting relaxation through techniques like deep breathing, which can lower heart rate and blood pressure, and improve mood and focus.

When & Where to Practice Breathing Exercises

The best part is that breathing exercises are flexible – you can practice them anytime, anywhere, whether you have 1 minute or just 5.

Pro tip:

Practice daily, even when you’re calm, to make these techniques second nature in times of stress.

Conclusion

In today’s fast-paced world, stress and anxiety are common, and you can try most of these breathing exercises right away. Check with your doctor if you have any medical concerns or take medications. If you want to learn more about breathing techniques, you can consult a respiratory therapist or yoga teacher who specializes in breathing techniques. The more you train your body to use your breath to relax, the easier it becomes to stay calm in any situation. If you feel any discomfort or agitation, stop the exercise. Take a deep breath, calmness is always just a breath away.

5-Minutes Breathing Exercise