Week one
Set a five – minute timer: find a comfortable position, seated or lying down.
Close your eyes or bring them to a soft gaze.
Place your hands on your belly, so you can feel it rise or fall.
Breathe in through your nose for a count of four, feel your belly rise.
Hold your breath for a count of four, keep calm and relaxed.
Breathe out for four, steady and controlled, feel your belly fall, hold for four.
Repeat this until the timer ends.
In week two, increase the lengths to five counts – in for five, hold for five, out for five, hold for five.
Week three
Increase to six – so six and then seven, the following week, until you are comfortable with ten for five minutes.
This will help you naturally move into a more functional breathing pattern: nose, diaphragm and a nice slow flow. You will feel more relaxed and energised.
Sometimes, our days don’t go smoothly and we need some extra help to tame our worries or manage our stress. In such times, try the magic technique below.
A nice, long, drawn-out breath hits the off button to your stress and tells your mind and body you are safe and calm.
It’s also great to do before sleeping to help you relax, and before eating to help your body to move blood flow and improve digestion.
Breathe in through your nose for a count of four, feeling your belly rise.
Hold for four, keep calm and still.
Breathe out through your mouth for a count of eight, relax your shoulders, face and jaw.
Repeat until you feel calm.
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