Four Easy Breathwork Routines to Aid Focus, Soothe Anxiety, and Help You Sleep

Hannah Singleton
·6 min read

Photograph: Getty Images; Collage: Armando Zaragoza

The magic of breathwork is in its simplicity: the use of conscious breathing techniques—modulating the intake through the nose or mouth, and varying the depth and pace—has been shown to promote relaxation and reduce stress, and even help with anxiety and depression. It’s easier than meditation (which can leave you fighting with your racing brain), and usually quick enough to fit into a daily routine.

“You don't always have time to work out or go to a yoga class, but working with the breath is a lot of bang for your buck. You could spend three minutes and experience a pretty drastic shift in how you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally,” says Madisson Singleton, a New York City-based yoga teacher, who has been incorporating breathwork into her classes for 10 years.

According to our experts, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, so it’s important to experiment with techniques to find one you like: Breathwork should be a tool to feel better, not a chore to add to a never-ending to-do list. And if you have any contraindications—an existing heart condition, high blood pressure, pregnancy, or a recent surgery—you should consult with a doctor before practicing. With that said, here are four breathwork routines for a calmer, more focused day.

To Start Your Day Off Right

Lauren Schramm, a breathwork coach and global Nike trainer, recommends starting with an energizing breath to boost your stress and then following it with a relaxing breath. It’s like practicing for real life: “You’re giving yourself a controlled environment where nothing is actually happening that you’re stressed about,” she says. “But you’re purposely bringing your body up to that feeling so you can practice pulling yourself back down.”

Start with a version of the Wim Hof method, named for the extreme athlete known for his ability to withstand freezing temperatures. Take a full breath in, a full breath out, and then repeat—breathing in before you would naturally want to. This can feel like hyperventilation, but you avoid taking shallow breaths. “You can do this for about one to three minutes and you’re going to feel that upregulation,” says Schramm. Start slow and steady, but as you progress, after about 30 breaths, you can add in a hold at the bottom of the exhale and top of the inhale to circulate the energy you just created.

Then, you have to down-regulate. The best way to do this is the 4-7-8 breath, says Schramm. Inhale for four beats, hold at the top for seven, and then exhale for eight—all through the nose. “A lot of the time it feels really crazy to hold seven out of nowhere, so when I coach this breath, I’ll do a four second inhale, four second hold, four second exhale on the first round,” she says. Then, the second round you can work up to a seven second hold and a slow, controlled exhale for eight. “If you do this for three to four rounds, your heart rate is going to stabilize, and you're going to feel like you're back in control of your emotions and your thoughts,” she says.

You can also use this any time of day to reduce anxiety, like “if your boss says something ridiculous in a meeting and you don’t want to overreact,” says Schramm. “No one knows you’re doing it because it’s through the nose, so it’s like your little secret.”

For a Mid-Day Reset

Singleton uses a technique called alternate nostril breathing at the beginning of her yoga classes to transition yogis out of work mode and into the present moment. You can also use it throughout the day when you feel scattered to refocus on a task.

Sit on the floor in a comfortable, upright position and curl your pointer and middle finger to your palm on your right hand. Use your thumb to cover your right nostril, and inhale through your left. Then, use your ring finger to cover your left, and exhale through your right. Keep your hand in that position and inhale through your right, cover it with your thumb, and exhale through your left. “You keep going like that, and what it's doing is it's balancing out the airflow between those nostrils,” says Singleton. In yoga teachings, the right side is more of the yang—the energizing, invigorating breathing—and the left side is more yin—the cooling and calming. Too much of either leaves you wound up or lethargic. “When you can balance out the right and the left side, there’s this calm, energized, and focused state,” she says.

Compared to more simple breathwork routines, alternate nostril breathing requires a bit more concentration, so it’s a great choice for people who struggle to stay present during breathwork, says Singleton.

For Post-Work Stress Relief

When Dom Cianciotto, multidisciplinary breathwork expert and director of community and experiences at Plunge, wants to relax, his go-to is a “reset breath”: A double inhale through the nostrils [think two relatively short bursts] with an audible sigh out. “When we’re stressed, our shoulders are up high and we may not even realize that you’re in this physical stress,” he says. “You’re signaling to the body that you’re tight and tense.” But when you release the exhale, your shoulders come down, easing some of that tension.

Starting with this breath allows you to regain control of your breathing pattern, which most people don’t pay attention to throughout the day. Perform 10 of these breaths, then move into 30 slow, deep breaths. Try breathing in and out through the nose, but if it feels better, you can breathe in through the nose and casually let it out through the mouth. Repeat this cycle as many times as you want until you feel calmer.

For Trouble Falling Asleep

Like at least 14.5 percent of adults, Stefanie Broes, CEO and co-founder of handheld breathwork device Moonbird, struggled to fall asleep most days. That led her to understand the power of breathing for sleep: Broes uses a very slow, deep breathing exercise to promote relaxation. It’s super simple and isn’t cognitively demanding. Get into a comfortable, natural sleeping position. Put one hand on your stomach and one on your chest, and breathe in for six seconds, and out for seven seconds through your nose. Repeat. (If this is too long, you can start with shorter durations, but make sure your exhale is longer than your inhale.) For those who have a wandering mind, you could use the Moonbird device, which is screen-free and provides tactile feedback as it expands and contracts in your hand to mimic a breathing pattern.

Originally Appeared on GQ

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