Maintaining focus is one of the most valuable skills in today's fast-paced, overstimulating world. It can be challenging to filter through the information overload and quiet the rumination, from stress at work or school to daily anxieties. Fortunately, breathwork has been proven to instantly sharpen your concentration and clarity of mind. Bringing your attention to your breath and away from the stressors of everyday life is a great mindfulness exercise to manage your stress and energy levels effectively. 

The core purpose of Open's 14-day Mental Detox program is to teach you how to use your breath to regulate your nervous system and cleanse your mind. The classes unfold in four progressive stages: Focus, Regulate, Activate, and Breakthrough.

Take a Breath: How Dysfunctional Breathing Disrupts Focus

We breathe involuntarily. While this frees up our brain to dedicate more energy to other important tasks, it also means that many of us lack conscious awareness of our breath and how it impacts our mental and emotional state. We may not notice that we’re breathing too fast or shallow when annoyed, stressed, or tense. Even if we don’t see it, we can inadvertently create an internal imbalance, making it difficult to harness our attention and stay present. This creates a negative feedback loop: Stress causes dysfunctional breathing, making it harder to focus, which induces anxiety. 

Breathwork is a systematic way to put this theory into practice. It involves bringing one's awareness back to the breath, which is one of the most simple, natural, and potent ways to improve focus.

Breathwork as a Tool for Mental Detox

Breathwork enhances executive decisions about your mental, physical, and emotional state by building a bridge between the conscious mind and nervous system. It activates the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which controls emotional regulation. This sends the message to the brain that you’re safe to feel calm, clear, and collected. Even during heightened stress, breathwork is a valuable tool for shutting out the noise and grounding the nervous system as a form of mental detox.

Breathwork for Focus Techniques

Breath-focused mindfulness practice is a time-tested tool for retraining focus because it enhances neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. This adaptability improves cognitive functions, such as attention and memory, and bolsters emotional resilience. You can use these four breathwork techniques as intentional exercises to improve your concentration and create moments of clarity throughout your day.

1. Circular Breath

Circular breathing enhances physical stamina and mental focus. It’s beneficial in situations that require high energy or firm concentration. Circular breathing can help you counter a late-afternoon lull or restore your energy levels after a long day of work.

Technique

Engage in continuous, seamless breathing without any pauses between inhalation and exhalation. Inhale and exhale rapidly through the mouth, keeping each breath even and powerful. Focus on maintaining a steady rhythm, which can be facilitated using a metronome or a guided audio track.

2. Alternate Nostril Breathing

Alternate Nostril Breathing, a.k.a. Nadi Shodhana, is renowned for its ability to balance the left and right hemispheres of the brain. This balancing effect promotes a sense of harmony and reduces stress. Enhancing neurological and emotional balance fosters calmness and significantly improves concentration levels.

Technique

Begin by sitting comfortably with your spine straight. Close off your right nostril with your right thumb and inhale deeply through your left nostril. At the peak of your inhalation, close off your left nostril with your ring finger, exhale through your right nostril, and then inhale through the right nostril. Continue this pattern, alternating nostrils with each breath.

3. Coherent Breath

Coherent Breath synchronizes your breath with your cardiovascular system and brain's alpha rhythms. This synchronization induces a state of deep relaxation, making it an effective technique for reducing anxiety and preventing rumination. It calms the mind, allowing for enhanced focus and mental clarity.

Technique

Sit or lie down in a relaxed position. Breathe in and out at a controlled rate of five breaths per minute, translating to inhaling and exhaling for about six seconds each. You can use a timer or a metronome app to maintain this rhythm.

4. Box Breath

Box Breath is an effective tool for stress management and improving mental focus. Its structured rhythm stabilizes the mind and body, making it particularly beneficial in high-pressure situations or as a relaxation technique after experiencing stress.

Technique

Adopt a comfortable sitting position and close your eyes if it helps you focus. Inhale deeply through your nose for a count of four, hold your breath for another count of four, exhale smoothly for four, and then hold again for four before beginning the next breath. This creates a 'box' or 'square' pattern in your breathing cycle.

Make it a Habit: Daily Breathwork for a Mental Detox

Whether you're dealing with work-related stress, academic pressures, or simply aiming to enhance your overall well-being, incorporating these breathwork techniques into your daily routine can profoundly affect your ability to stay focused and productive. It only takes a few moments each day to strengthen your mind-body connection and counter the information overload of everyday life.

Open’s 14-day Mental Detox

If you want to learn all of the most effective breathwork techniques, join the Mental Detox. As you work through the two week program, you’ll gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the power of breath and come away with actionable tips you can use to incorporate it into your daily life.