Breathing

Breathe In, Breathe Out: The Top Meditation Breathing Techniques

Meditation isn’t just about sitting in silence and becoming one with your higher self (although that is certainly an element of it). The goal of meditation is to train the mind to focus on one thing, usually your breathing, in order to achieve a state of heightened consciousness. When you breathe in, do it slowly and deeply; when you breathe out, do it slowly and fully. In between each breath, focus on something other than your breathing, such as the sound of birds or your own heartbeat or an object like the candle burning next to you.

Basic Breathing

The best way to start with meditation breathing is to simply take in a deep breath through your nose. As you breathe in and out through your nose, focus on your breath while keeping all other thoughts out of your mind. When you’re breathing deeply, allow yourself to focus on nothing but that feeling—it’s calming and centering at once. Another great feature of basic breathing is that it can be done virtually anywhere for as long as you need it to be done; there are no requirements as far as time or space are concerned! This means that when you have trouble concentrating, have a lot on your mind or just feel stressed out, basic breathing can help calm things down quickly. It doesn’t require any special equipment or even an actual meditation session; just breathe! There are many different types of breathing techniques and if you’d like to learn more about them, please check out our guide here. You might find one technique fits your needs better than another, so learning about all of them could prove beneficial in helping you decide which ones will work for you personally.

Controlled Breathing

According to Mayo Clinic, controlled breathing involves inhaling deeply through your nose and exhaling in a slow, measured way through your mouth. One common technique is to inhale deeply and slowly to a count of five, hold that breath for two or three seconds, then release it over five or six seconds. You can use any breathing exercise that you find relaxing. Just be sure not to make yourself feel light-headed by taking too big of breaths or holding them for too long. Try starting with 10 minutes of controlled breathing each day and work up from there. Be careful if you're new to meditation; while controlled breathing exercises are generally safe, they may cause anxiety in some people. If that's the case, consider trying another method instead.

Once you’re comfortable using deep breathing techniques, try one of these more intense methods: Metta Bhavana (Loving Kindness) - This type of yoga uses full body movements to help move energy around your body. It can be performed as a series of poses meant to calm and relax, which makes it a great option for beginners who aren’t physically able or ready for other types of meditation. Metta Bhavana is also great for getting kids involved since its full body movements mean little ones will likely want to join in on fun!

Ekagrata (One-Pointed Concentration) - Focusing on one thing helps give your mind something simple to focus on so that distracting thoughts don’t pull you away from meditating.

Alternate Nostril Breathing (AKA Nadi Shodhana)

Alternate nostril breathing is a form of alternate nostril breathing that balances our body’s wind energy—our prana. It’s said to quiet and ground you. To begin, hold your right thumb over your right nostril and inhale for four seconds through your left nostril. Then release your thumb and cover up your left nostril with your index finger. Exhale slowly from your right nostril for eight seconds. Release your index finger and use it to cover up your right nostril; inhale for four seconds through the left side. Cover up both of them again and exhale through the right side for eight seconds more to finish one round of alternate nostril breathing. (Source) This breathing technique should be repeated at least three times per day for 10-15 minutes each time. The 4-7-8 Breath:

This technique has been used by many meditation teachers including Dr Andrew Weil and Oprah Winfrey. Also known as square breathing, it helps calm us down in stressful situations by calming down our nervous system. All we have to do is breathe in for four seconds, hold our breath for seven seconds, then breathe out slowly through pursed lips for eight seconds before starting all over again!

Breath Concentration

This is one of the simplest forms of meditation and involves focusing on your breath. Set a timer for five minutes, close your eyes and focus on how your body feels as you breathe in and out. If your mind wanders off to other things (and it probably will), gently bring yourself back to focusing on your breathing. Over time you can extend your meditation by increasing from five minutes to 10 or 15 minutes each day. The goal is not to clear your mind but simply to focus on breathing for a short period of time. Eventually, practicing for longer periods will reduce stress and help increase relaxation overall. As a bonus if you do end up clearing your mind completely you’ll be able to enjoy even more benefits! And remember, meditation isn't just about sitting down for hours at a time. Many people prefer to meditate throughout their days instead of all at once because it's less stressful and more effective that way. If you're new to meditation don't worry about finding an ideal amount of time to sit; just start small so that you have an easier time focusing on your breathing without being distracted. And always remember, patience is key! It may take some practice before sitting still with no distractions becomes easy enough that doing so feels natural—but with practice anyone can master meditating through simple breath control alone.

Breath Counting

One of my favorite meditative breathing exercises is known as breath counting. It's simple and will help you become aware of your breath patterns. Breath counting involves paying attention to your inhalations and exhalations for a certain period of time. Typically, meditation teachers recommend a count of 10 (inhale-exhale), though it could be more or less depending on how long you want to practice for. When you're ready to begin, sit comfortably with your back straight but not rigid. Close your eyes and focus on your breath. Keep an even pace throughout the exercise by inhaling for a slow count of four and exhaling for a slow count of four. For example, if you choose to do a five-minute session, inhale through your nose while counting slowly to four; then exhale through your mouth while counting slowly to four. If at any point during your session you lose track of where you are in terms of numbers—for example, if you're thinking about what happened at work earlier in the day—just start over from one again. As you get used to doing breath counts, try adding another number each time until you reach 10. With practice, you'll find that your mind quiets down and focuses solely on your breaths. This helps clear out mental clutter so that when you return to real life, it won't feel like such a shock.

Chakra Breathing

For many people who are new to meditation, controlling your breathing rate can be difficult. That’s where chakra breathing comes in. Start by sitting comfortably and making sure your spine is straight. Then close your eyes and inhale slowly through your nose while visualizing each of seven chakras lighting up one at a time from bottom to top. When you reach the top (your crown) exhale through your mouth and continue to visualize each of the chakras going out like candles in reverse order. This method of breathing is calming for many people and can help beginners get more into a meditative state quickly. Plus there are countless ways you can take it further with visualization techniques or even being more mindful about each breath when done on its own . Just remember that learning how to breathe properly takes practice, so don’t give up too easily if you don’t find success right away. Just try again!

Sudarshan Kriya Yoga breathing technique

This breathing technique is done in 4 steps. Take a deep breath and inhale through your nose while counting to 4. Hold your breath for 4 seconds. Exhale through your mouth while counting to 8. Hold your breath again for another 8 seconds before exhaling fully again and repeating as necessary. It’s recommended that you do at least 20 cycles of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga breathing every day. Studies have shown it can help with anxiety, high blood pressure and depression. A yoga class may also be helpful if you want more guidance from an instructor who can provide some tips on how to perform it properly. Before going to bed: Lie on your back on a flat surface such as floor or bed with arms by sides, palms facing up. Breathe in deeply through your nose until your lungs are full and hold for 10 seconds without taking any more air into lungs. Then slowly breathe out through your mouth for 15 seconds. Repeat three times. If you find yourself struggling to fall asleep after doing these exercises, don't worry — just repeat them one more time right before going to sleep. If you wake up during the night, repeat them once again right before going back to sleep. Just remember not to force yourself to go to sleep. Just let nature take its course. The Vipassana meditation: If you're new to meditation, try Vipassana first since it's fairly easy to learn and has great results even if you practice it only a few minutes each day. First sit comfortably cross-legged on a mat or cushion. You can also sit upright in a chair with your feet firmly planted on the ground.

Pranayama (Yoga breathing)

Pranayama is one of the six limbs of yoga. Prana translates to life force while Ayama means control. This form of breathing controls your breath and helps control your life force (prana). There are several techniques within Pranayama; however, we will focus on Ujjayi breathing. Ujjayi is pronounced oo-gee-ee and it translates to victorious breath because yogis believe that controlling prana through respiration will give you strength and power in all areas of life, including business! Try practicing Ujjayi breath before starting your day or during stressful times throughout your day. Close off your right nostril with a thumb, breathe in deeply through your left nostril and hold for 5 seconds. Then close off both nostrils with two fingers, exhale slowly out of only your right nostril for 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times and do 3-5 sessions per day for best results! You can also do Ujjayi breath as you meditate by closing off your right nostril with a thumb and exhaling out of only your left nostril. This way, as you’re focused on clearing your mind, there won’t be any other distractions like sounds coming into your ears! Find time each day to practice Ujjayi breathing and notice how clear headed and calm you feel when dealing with stressors throughout the day.

Tibetan Medical breathing techniques

When you’re stressed or feel pain in your body, you naturally breathe quickly and shallowly. It helps bring oxygen to your lungs but brings less oxygen to your brain. This form of breathing is known as chest breathing and can lead to anxiety and rapid heart rate. Tibetan medical practitioners teach their patients special techniques called Ujjayi breath (in Sanskrit ujjayi means victorious) that can be learned through a private teacher or at a class setting. To practice Ujjayi breath, sit comfortably with your back straight and inhale through both nostrils while trying to make a soft hissing sound by constricting your throat as if you were cooling hot soup on its way out of a spoon. Then exhale slowly through your nose. Do it for five minutes every day and gradually work up to 20 minutes a day. Once mastered, it will become part of your daily routine when you wake up and go to sleep. And unlike other forms of meditation, Ujjayi breath is easy enough for anyone to master without years of training. But beware: If you don’t have perfect posture, try not to hold your breath and stop doing it if any tension arises in your neck or shoulders. Instead, come out of it gently and do some light stretching afterward. You can also incorporate Ujjayi breathing into more advanced practices like pranayama yoga by using a technique called kumbhaka, which involves holding your breath after inhaling and exhaling deeply. Kumbhaka is practiced only under professional supervision since holding your breath after exhalation can cause dizziness or even fainting—and isn’t something you should try unless instructed by an expert.

Breathing techniques to de-stress and relax

Slow down and take a deep breath. There are a lot of effective techniques for stress relief, but one of our favorites is meditation breathing. This exercise helps you relax your mind and body in as little as ten minutes a day. Here’s how it works: Close your eyes, sit comfortably upright and focus on taking long, slow breaths from your diaphragm (the muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen). Each time you inhale or exhale through your nose or mouth, count to four (one-two-three-four) before beginning another breath cycle. If thoughts enter into your head during practice—and they will—simply acknowledge them and then return to counting. Practice for 10–20 minutes at a time until you feel more relaxed than when you started. You can even do these breathing exercises while sitting at work!