Breathing practices to help with anxiety
Suffering with anxiety, panic attacks or feeling overwhelmed?
You’re not alone, around 8 MILLION people in the UK suffer with anxiety at some point in their lifetime. Even if you are not suffering from panic attacks or severe anxiety, we can all feel worried, stressed and burnt out from time to time.
The breath is so powerful and for some reason, it is not often considered as a tool to help us with illnesses or emotions, but rather an innate response we have just to keep us alive. Although this is obviously true, the way in which we breathe has a huge effect on our nervous, digestive, endocrine, respiratory and lymphatic system(Yes breathing really does contribute to all this!), and unfortunately due to the constant rush of life and the high stress environments most of us live in - we are not breathing to our full potential…
Typically when we breathe, it’s short and sharp breaths in and out through the mouth. We tend to hold our breath in our shoulders and therefore have tension in the upper body. This is negatively effecting us in many ways, firstly breathing through the mouth is not as purifying as it is through the nose. Secondly, keeping the breath in the chest area alerts the nervous system, it’s what makes us uptight, and it triggers our “fight or flight” response. And thirdly, taking short breaths does not bring as much energy into our body, we are depriving our bodily systems of prana (energy) by choosing to breathe quickly. In yoga we learn pranayama - the practice of focusing on the breath, so the yogis heavily believe that learning to breathe properly can massively impact our lives. When we focus our attention on the breath, the mind naturally “forgets” about whatever was troubling us before, breath work can be done anywhere at any time, so it is a great tool in helping us manage our emotions.
Here are 3 pranayama practices that can help with feelings of anxiety:
1) belly breathing (diaphragmatic breathing)
Lying on your back or seated (it is easier to try this lying down to begin with), I want you to imagine your belly is a balloon, place your hands gently on your belly to help with this visualisation. Close your eyes and as you inhale, send the breath down into the belly and fill that balloon up with air, and as you exhale, as if someone has put a pin in your balloon, the belly deflates. Try to breathe in and out through the nose during this practice, and keep coming back to the idea of the balloon inflating and deflating. Breathing into the diaphragm encourages the body to relax as it massages the digestive system and tells the nervous system to go into the “rest and digest” state as opposed to the, “fight or flight” state of mind, which is triggered when taking short breaths into the chest, (The pattern of breathing we lean towards when feeling anxious). Changing where the breath is sent to naturally helps to calm down the body.
2)Bhramari pranayama (humming bee breath)
Seated in a comfortable position, gently cover your eyes with your fingers and close your ears with your thumbs. As you inhale through the nose, keep the mouth closed, and as you exhale, make a humming noise (like that of a bumblebee). Repeat this a couple of times to reap the benefits. This pranayama practice works to quiet the mind, bringing all the attention to the vibration you feel on the exhale, focus on how that feels in your head and the rest of your body. This is also a great practice if you suffer with migraines or insomnia - it works to rewire the brain and bring attention to one point rather than being constantly overwhelmed with multiple thoughts.
3) box breathing
Probably the most popular method and for good reason. Box breathing is a mix of breathwork and visualisation. Rest in any position, close your eyes and imagine drawing a box, (you can trace one with your finger if it is easier for you, or you could keep your eyes open and physically draw the box on a piece of paper if you really struggle to imagine). As you draw the first line of your “box” inhale for 4 seconds, as you draw the next line of your box, hold for 4 seconds, the next line you draw, exhale for 4 seconds, and the final closing line of your box, hold for 4 seconds. So the pattern is: inhale-hold-exhale-hold, and you keep drawing this box following the cues for a minute or so. The reason this breathing practice is so effective is because it distracts your mind from your anxious thoughts. Focusing on the numbers and the drawing of the box, it naturally calms our nervous system.
Try these breathing practices if you ever feel anxious, or you just need to take a break, and notice how the mind suddenly becomes still. All of these practices aim to reduce noise in our minds, bring our attention to one thing and subsequently calm the nervous system.
Yogis constantly return to the breath to feel calm, to fire up the body or to cool it down, to relax or energise - they understand the powerful energy that is transmitted when we breathe and how we breathe. Learning to take deeper breaths is a great way to lead a calmer life - so give it a try !
Disclaimer
These breathing practices are a great tool to help manage and reduce anxiety yet they cannot cure it. If you are seriously struggling with anxiety and panic attacks - seek advice from your medical advisor.
