In a society that rewards hustle, finding the time to slow down and calm our minds and regulate our emotions can be challenging. That’s why at Open we try to make it as easy as possible to incorporate meditation into your daily routine, using science-backed techniques to get you efficient and effective results.
Meditation has been proven to be helpful for alleviating symptoms of anxiety, depression, fatigue, panic attacks, and general stress. Read on to learn some simple breathwork techniques for meditation.
Key takeaways
- Breath is a useful tool for meditation
- Meditation has proven benefits for mental and physical health
- Open has lots of different options for breathwork classes
What Is Meditation?
Meditation is a practice of using techniques like breath and mindfulness to gain self-awareness, self-regulate, and calm your mind. There are so many different types of meditation, and one of them is bound to be right for you. You can start small – with just 5 minutes.
Most meditation techniques require you to find a somewhat quiet place where you’re unlikely to be distracted. The living room while other people are home is not a great place to try to meditate.
Once you’re somewhere still and quiet, you begin by focusing your attention – either onto the act of breathing, a mantra to repeat, or some kind of focal point to help you focus your attention.
As your thoughts come into your mind, allow them to come and go without judgment.
How Does Breathwork Relate to Meditation?
Breath meditation is one of the most accessible forms of meditation, because breathing is universal. There are lots of different techniques, such as lion’s breath, pranayama, stimulating breath, relaxed breath, and more.
Focusing your attention on your breath going in and out is the most simple and natural way to get into a meditative state.
What Breathwork Techniques Can I Use While Meditating?
While meditating, there are calming breathing techniques you can practice to help you focus your mind, feel relaxed and centered, reduce your blood pressure, stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, and lower your heart rate. Here are a few different breathwork techniques you can try:
Diaphragm Breathing
The diaphragm is a very large muscle located just below your lungs, used for breathing. When you inhale, your lungs expand and your diaphragm drops down. When you exhale, your diaphragm rises back up.
Diaphragm breathing can be practiced while lying on the floor with one hand on your chest and the other on your diaphragm. Begin with a slow inhale through your nose and feel your stomach rising with the breath.
Alternate Nostril Breathing
Alternate nostril breathing is a science-backed technique that is effective in calming both the mind and body. It is practiced by placing one hand in front of your face, and closing one nostril at a time as you inhale, and exhale.
Open with a deep cleansing breath, and then close your right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through the left nostril. Then, close the left nostril with your right ring finger and exhale through the right nostril. Repeat the cycle, in through the right, and out through the left.
If reading about it seems confusing, check out of our breathwork classes to help guide you through this technique.
Soft Breath
Soft breath is also called soft belly breathing because it has a focus on the belly during the breathwork. To begin this practice, you will want to find a comfortable place to either sit or lie down.
As you breathe in, feel the breath go down to the belly and think, “soft”. For the exhale, allow the belly to be effortless without any resistance and think, “belly”. Then repeat with the inhale, “soft” and exhale, “belly” for five to 10 minutes.
Intermittent Breath Retention
Intermittent breath retention, also known as kumbhaka in yoga, is considered one of the most important aspects of yogic breathing techniques and has myriad benefits. It’s a technique that requires some practice, but you can begin by exhaling all the air in your lungs.
Then, inhale through your nose slowly. Once your lungs are full, hold your breath for a count of three to five and then slowly release. After the exhale, hold again for an additional count of three to five.
4-7-8 Breathing
The 4-7-8 breathing technique is done with the tip of your tongue resting just behind your top teeth. You begin the breathwork technique by parting your lips and exhaling. Then, with your lips closed, you will quietly inhale for a mental count of four and then hold your breath for a count of seven.
Finally, exhale through the mouth, making a whooshing sound for a count of eight. This counts as one breath cycle and it should be repeated four to eight times per session.
Four Count Breathing
Four count breathing, also known as box breathing, is a simple and effective technique that you can do in just five minutes. It is a paced-breathing technique that follows a rhythm of counts of four.
To begin, inhale for a count of four, hold for a count of four, exhale for a count of four, and then hold for a count of four. That is one cycle and it should be repeated until the five minutes are over.
Breathing by Itself
Meditating with your natural breath is also called shamatha, which translates to “peacefully abiding. “It is a simple practice done either seated or standing with your attention on your natural breathing rhythm. As your mind wanders, just guide it back to observing the natural cycle of your breath as your belly rises and falls.
What Are the Benefits of Meditative Breathing?
There are numerous benefits of meditative breathing which is why it has continued to be practiced for thousands of years. The benefits are both mental and physiological. Here are just a few of the benefits you can see as you begin meditation practice.
Decreased Stress
Breathwork can reduce blood pressure, which will decrease your stress.
A study that shows that systolic blood pressure, which is the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart beats, decreases when you take the time to focus on your breath.
Improved Sleep
Are you getting the suggested seven to nine hours of sleep recommended each night? Many of us don’t. Not getting enough sleep at night can negatively affect your mood, your memory, and your health.
Meditation helps allow your mind and body to feel a sense of calm. Many meditation techniques will lead the practitioner to sleep during the actual practice.
Improved Self-Awareness
Self-awareness involves being aware of all of the different aspects of yourself – from your thoughts and feelings to behaviors and how you view yourself in relation to others. Through the practice of meditation, you will take the time to focus and look within.
As your thoughts come and go without judgment it gives you a great sense of your center and connects you with your true self. This will give you improved self-awareness because it removes outside noise from your mind.
Improved Emotional Responses
In meditation, you train your mind to allow thoughts to come and go without judgment, which means negative thoughts and emotions come and go just as any other thought would. As you continue to practice meditation, your mind will guide your emotions without snap responses because it knows how to return your attention to the present.
Where Can I Learn Meditative Breathing?
Open is a mindfulness studio you can access anywhere. We offer on-demand and live classes that will guide you through different meditative breathing techniques so you can find which one best suits you. Best of all, it can be done right in your own space and on your schedule.
Breathe In, Breathe Out, Let It Go
Meditation is an ancient technique that continues to grow in popularity because it is simple to practice and can be done whenever you need it. Give it a try for better sleep and less stress.
We invite you to try the different breathing techniques for meditation to find the one that is best for you so you will enjoy the practice every day.
Sources:
Physiology, Bohr Effect | NCBI
Meditation Practice Improves Short-Term Changes in Heart Rate Variability | NCCIH