Belly Breathing Finally Explained

While a thriving business is good, (even in the business of building resilience to stress) on these hectic days I find myself vacillating between reaching for the meditation cushion and reaching for the wine bottle more often than I care to admit. The reality is we all have days where we find ourselves overloaded with to-do lists, stressed about upcoming events, and feeling as though there simply isn’t enough time in the day!

Enter the miraculous cure for stress (better than wine, actually): Belly Breathing.

I never really understood belly breathing until I learned the simple trick described in the featured practice below. Regardless of whether I am nervous for a presentation, irritated by something at work, or just trying to get through the witching hour with kids, I’m amazed how in those moments of chaos, a few simple belly breaths can work wonders on my mind, my body, and the rest of my day!

I spent a lot of years trying to understand how to belly breathe with zero success. I had pretty much written off the concept when I learned this awesome trick guaranteed to have you belly breathing as soon as you read the bullet points below!

How to Belly Breathe

• First, put your hand on your belly. Either sit up straight or stand to get the greatest effect.
• Second, take a slow deep inhalation and exhalation in and out of your nose.
• Third, inhale once again through your nose, and exhale out of your mouth as though you are blowing out candles on a birthday cake. Completely empty your lungs with the exhalation.

Your next inhalation through your nose will automatically be a belly breath.

Try it a few times to get the sensation and use it anytime you feel stressed or overwhelmed.

When we are stressed we only breathe in the top quarter of our lungs…

This shallow breathing is a product of the stress response in the brain which triggers shallow breathing. When we force ourselves to belly breathe we bring our sympathetic nervous system (responsible for stress) and our parasympathetic nervous systems (responsible for relaxation) back into balance. Our body sends a signal to the brain that “everything is ok here” which reduces the flood of stress hormones into our system. As a result we think more clearly, feel more at ease, and can process information efficiently and effectively.

This is a great exercise to share with your kids.

They can use these breaths before a performance, test, or sporting event to help them relax so they can perform their best!

Looking for another resource for kids on using your breath? Check out this book written by founder Kristen Race and owner Kathy Marvel, And She Said Breathe.

Remember, the more we practice breathing at times when we are not under stress, the easier it is for us to use our breath when we really need it!