Doing breathing exercises is one of the best ways to reduce your tension and relieve your stress. Following are some breathing exercises which help you to be stress free.
1. Belly Breathing
This is a basic breathing exercise which you can do anytime to reduce your stress.
Steps to perform the exercise:
Sit or lay flat in a comfortable position.
Place your one hand on your belly and put the other hand on your chest.
Take a deep breath through your nose such that your chest should not move and your belly pushes your hand inwards.
Exhale the air slowly through your pursed lips.
Repeat this exercise at least 3-5 times until you start feeling calm.
2. Alternate-Nostril Breathing
Sit in a comfortable position
Place your right hand by bending your pointer and middle fingers into your palm, leaving your thumb, ring finger and pinky finger.
Slowly close your eyes or look downwards
Breathe in and Breathe out the air to begin.
Place your right thumb on your nose closing off the right nostril and breathe in through your left nostrils.
Now place your left thumb on your nose closing off the left nostril and breathe in through your right nostrils.
Continue doing this for 10-15 times
3. Box Breathing
Sit in a comfortable position.
Count from 1 to 4 and at the count of four breath out.
For a four count hold your lungs empty.
At the count of four take a deep breath.
For a four count hold air in your lungs.
At the count of four breathe out the air you are holding.
Repeat this process in the similar pattern
4. Pursed-lip Breathing
Sit in a comfortable posture, relaxing your neck and shoulders.
Keep your mouth close and breathe in the air through your nostrils for two seconds.
Breathe out the air for four seconds through your mouth.
Keep breathing slow and steady while breathing out