4 breathing excercises

Each of these exercises offered here is to help you relax. You may very well feel more comfortable physically as anxiety and tension decrease. (The guided imagery exercises presented in another section may also increase your comfort directly through suggestions.) Practice brings the best results!
There are several ways to use these exercises:
• read through the exercise and then do it from memory – it doesn’t have to be done exactly as I’ve written here
• record the exercise and play it back for yourself to do
• have someone read the exercise to you
If you record the exercise or have someone read it to you, also try to eventually be able to do it on your own. This lets you do it anytime and anywhere – a great skill to have in your back pocket!
Breathing Exercise 1
Several breathing exercises are presented, all focusing on breathing patterns and on imagining that healing is occurring with breathing. These can be practiced at any time, with your eyes open or shut, for a short or longer amount of time. You can do just one, or let one flow into the next. By focusing on your breathing, you can help your body relax, which often results in less pain. These exercises can also decrease the anxiety that often accompanies pain. When you’re instructed to breathe deeply, moderately deeply is fine, so you don’t hyperventilate.
Pointers:
Do any of the breathing exercises only as long as you’re comfortable. If you begin to feel lightheaded or tingly, simply return your breathing to normal, and shorten the number of deep breaths you take the next time you do the exercise.
Adding gentle, pleasant, natural smells to your environment while doing these breathing exercises is great. Fresh flowers, citrus, or other enjoyable smells can be used. Using any and all of your senses – sight, taste, hearing, touch and smell – can add to your relaxation experience… there are many avenues to your relaxation destination.
Breathing Exercise 1:
Simply pay attention to your breathing, without trying to change your breathing pattern. Notice how quickly or slowly you’re breathing… (pause).
Notice how shallowly or deeply you’re breathing… (pause).
Notice where your breath comes in to your body, and where it leaves your body… (pause).
Now just continue to watch your breath.
Breathing Exercise 2
Several breathing exercises are presented, all focusing on breathing patterns and on imagining that healing is occurring with breathing. These can be practiced at any time, with your eyes open or shut, for a short or longer amount of time. You can do just one, or let one flow into the next. By focusing on your breathing, you can help your body relax, which often results in less pain. These exercises can also decrease the anxiety that often accompanies pain. When you’re instructed to breathe deeply, moderately deeply is fine, so you don’t hyperventilate.
Pointers:
Do any of the breathing exercises only as long as you’re comfortable. If you begin to feel lightheaded or tingly, simply return your breathing to normal, and shorten the number of deep breaths you take the next time you do the exercise.
Adding gentle, pleasant, natural smells to your environment while doing these breathing exercises is great. Fresh flowers, citrus, or other enjoyable smells can be used. Using any and all of your senses – sight, taste, hearing, touch and smell – can add to your relaxation experience… there are many avenues to your relaxation destination.
Breathing Exercise 2:
Begin to pay attention to your breathing, and invite your body and mind to begin to relax. Take 3 normal breaths in through your nose, watching your chest expand and fall.
Then slow and deepen each breath, and let your chest expand a bit more for the next 3 breaths. Then return your breathing to normal for 3 more breaths.
Once again, slow and deepen your next 3 breaths, letting your chest expand even more. Then return your breathing to normal for 3 more breaths.
Now take 3 breaths, imagining the air flowing in to the very bottom and top of your lungs, letting all areas of your lungs expand with air and then fall. Then again return your breathing to normal.
Breathing Exercise 3
Several breathing exercises are presented, all focusing on breathing patterns and on imagining that healing is occurring with breathing. These can be practiced at any time, with your eyes open or shut, for a short or longer amount of time. You can do just one, or let one flow into the next. By focusing on your breathing, you can help your body relax, which often results in less pain. These exercises can also decrease the anxiety that often accompanies pain. When you’re instructed to breathe deeply, moderately deeply is fine, so you don’t hyperventilate.
Pointers:
Do any of the breathing exercises only as long as you’re comfortable. If you begin to feel lightheaded or tingly, simply return your breathing to normal, and shorten the number of deep breaths you take the next time you do the exercise.
Adding gentle, pleasant, natural smells to your environment while doing these breathing exercises is great. Fresh flowers, citrus, or other enjoyable smells can be used. Using any and all of your senses – sight, taste, hearing, touch and smell – can add to your relaxation experience… there are many avenues to your relaxation destination.
Breathing Exercise 3:
Begin to pay attention to your breathing, and invite your body and mind to begin to relax. Imagine that healing oxygen in the air you’re breathing in is traveling to all areas of your body. With each breath in, imagine this healing traveling to a different area of your body. First to your head … with your next breath to your face … next your neck and shoulders … next down your arms to the tips of your fingers … next your chest and stomach … next your back … next your pelvis … and down your legs to the tips of your toes.
Now focus on your healing breath going to those areas of your body that have discomfort, one area at a time. Let each area receive that healing oxygen for 10 or 20 or more breaths.
Breathing Exercise 4
Several breathing exercises are presented, all focusing on breathing patterns and on imagining that healing is occurring with breathing. These can be practiced at any time, with your eyes open or shut, for a short or longer amount of time. You can do just one, or let one flow into the next. By focusing on your breathing, you can help your body relax, which often results in less pain. These exercises can also decrease the anxiety that often accompanies pain. When you’re instructed to breathe deeply, moderately deeply is fine, so you don’t hyperventilate.
Pointers:
Do any of the breathing exercises only as long as you’re comfortable. If you begin to feel lightheaded or tingly, simply return your breathing to normal, and shorten the number of deep breaths you take the next time you do the exercise.
Adding gentle, pleasant, natural smells to your environment while doing these breathing exercises is great. Fresh flowers, citrus, or other enjoyable smells can be used. Using any and all of your senses – sight, taste, hearing, touch and smell – can add to your relaxation experience… there are many avenues to your relaxation destination.
Breathing Exercise 4:
Begin to pay attention to your breathing, and invite your body and mind to begin to relax.
As you take breaths of a normal depth, imagine the air only entering through the left side of your nose, through your left nostril. Imagine letting the air come in only through the left, and then exhaling only though the left. Follow this pattern for 10 breaths.
Then slowly change over to the right side, imagining air coming in only through the right nostril, and then exhaling only through the right. Follow this pattern for 10 breaths.