Decrease Stress with this Simple Breath work Technique

There is an old Zen saying, “You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you’re too busy then you should sit for an hour.” This is often hard to put into practice in real life, but I think it does reinforce the importance of slowing down.

It really only takes 60 seconds to reset your  stress response. And one of the easiest ways to do that is to use your breath. 

The simple act of breathing into your belly helps to activate your parasympathetic nervous system getting you out of “fight or flight” mode and back into “rest and digest” mode.

Box breathing is a super simple technique that you can do just about anywhere, anytime to calm your nerves, focus your mind and rescue the effects of stress and anxiety. 

Find a comfortable space to sit. Close your eyes and take a few big cleansing breaths into your belly and release through your mouth. Then begin to breathe in and out through your nose. After 2-3 breaths, begin to inhale for a count of 4, filling up the entire belly, then hold at the top of the breath for a count of 4, finally exhale through the nose for a count of 4 and hold for 4, emptying out completely before beginning the next round. 

Repeat 4-5 times and repeat as needed throughout the day.