4 Breathing Exercises To Help You Regroup And Focus

Rachael Finch certified health coach, Aussie TV personality and founder of bodbyfinch, shares four breathing exercises to help you regroup and focus.

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Quick anywhere, anytime meditations for women on the go.

Meditation is something we should practice every day. It can help reduce stress and anxiety and improve focus and self-awareness. Just five minutes of meditation a day can have a profound effect – especially in today’s busy world. A morning meditation allows me to focus on my intentions for the day and gives me a boost of positive energy.

Anyone can meditate and you can do it anywhere. My online health and wellness program, www.bodbyfinch, teaches my members the importance of mindfulness with weekly meditations and sleep visualizations. I truly believe training our mind is just as important as training our body – it needs exercise, discipline and love.

If you’re new to meditation or you just want some new tips, here are four breathing meditation techniques you can do anywhere, anytime.

The Abdominal Breathing Technique

Start with your hand on your chest and your other hand on your tummy. Take a deep breath in through your nose and let the diaphragm (not your chest) inflate with enough air to expand your lungs. Try and take 6-10 deep slow breathes per minute for up to 10 minutes.

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Begin by sitting on the floor, legs crossed, back straight. Hold your right thumb over your right nostril and inhale deeply through your left nostril. Once you’ve breathed in plenty of air, close off the left nostril with your ring finger, and then exhale through the right nostril. Switch sides by inhaling through your right nostril, closing it off with your right thumb and exhaling through the left nostril. Try and repeat this for five minutes.

Progressive Relaxation

This technique helps reduce tension in the body, stress and relax when you’re feeling anxious. Begin by closing your eyes and focus on tensing and relaxing each muscle group for two to three seconds. Start with your feet and toes, and then move up to the knees, thighs, butt, chest, arms, hands, neck, jaw and eyes. Remember to take deep, slow breaths throughout the relaxation.

Equal Breathing

This technique is fabulous if you struggle to fall asleep. To start, inhale for a count of four, and then exhale for a count of four – only breathe through your nose and keep your mouth closed. If you find this easy (or hard) you can change the count, just make sure you inhale and exhale for the same number of seconds.