Zen Breathing

4-7-8 Breathing

  1. Empty the lungs of air.
  2. Breathe in quietly through the nose for 4 seconds.
  3. Hold the breath for a count of 7 seconds.
  4. Exhale forcefully through the mouth, pursing the lips and making a “whoosh” sound, for 8 seconds.
  5. Repeat the cycle up to 4 times.

Standard ratio is 2:1:2:1

  1. 6 count in.
  2. 3 count hold.
  3. 6 count out.
  4. 3 count hold.
Or 10 count in, 5 hold, etc

Diaphragmatic breathing: Deep belly breaths

  1. Sit straight on your back and make sure you are comfortable. Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly.
  2. Start breathing in through your nose. Feel your stomach; it should rise as you breathe in. The chest, on the other hand, should move only very little.
  3. Exhale through the mouth, letting out as much air as possible. Feel your stomach; you should feel it fall as you exhale. As with the previous step, the hand should also move little.
  4. Continue breathing using the steps above and feel a sense of total release in your body. This simple technique allows you to fully let go and surrender to the now.

Counted Breaths

To do this, engage in deep breathing, breathing in and out through the nose to activate the parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) nervous system. Start inhaling, mentally counting up to 4 in your head, then exhale to the count of 4.
Or count each breat up to 10, then repeat.