Just Breathe (Breathing Tips and Resources for Helping Professionals)

Introduction

Breathing is essential to our lives. We all know this, but the majority of the time we pay little or no attention to it. Breathing is remarkable because it is the only bodily function that is both voluntary and involuntary (we’ll get to that in a moment). It’s so important to just breathe. Breathe in life-sustaining oxygen. Just breathe.

Our breath is our best friend. It is our constant companion. We don’t have to pay for an annual subscription to receive it. It doesn’t require any fancy equipment or an app to use it. Breathing energizes us and calms us. It sustains us. It heals and restores us. It keeps us alive. It is life-giving.

Over the centuries breath work has been an integral part of health and healing. Its origins are believed to be dated back to ancient India and were (and are) a major component of Yoga. Certain types of conscious breath work are used for specific reasons, which we’ll elaborate below.

Just Breathe (Breathing Tips and Resources for Helping Professionals) has been written to give you and your clients a brief understanding of the function and process of breathing and the benefits of breath work. But most importantly, it describes a variety of breathing techniques that you can use on a regular basis in order to enhance the quality of your client’s lives as well as your own.

There’s a special bonus feature that I’ve included below for clinicians who are interested in doing Guided Imagery in session (see #18 under Breathing Techniques)

The resources drawn upon for this post will be listed at the end of Just Breathe (Breathing Tips and Resources for Helping Professionals).

Function and Process of Breathing

As mentioned earlier, breathing is the only bodily function that can be completely conscious (voluntary) or unconscious (involuntary).

Benefits of Breath Work

• Decrease anxiety and panic
• Help decrease or manage pain
• Decrease stress
• Help with relaxation
• Lower blood pressure
• Positively influence health
• Calm upset or agitated emotional states
• Improve sleep
• Ease asthma
• Decrease frequency and severity of hot flashes
• Improve mental and physical energy
• Enhance physical performance
• Harmonize the nervous system
• Improve digestion
• Improve circulation

Breathing Techniques

Below you will find a variety of breathing techniques that can be useful in many ways. Not every breathing technique will be the “right fit” for every person. You will find that some will be more useful than others. A few of these techniques combine breath work with additional treatment modalities, such as energy work or guided imagery.

I invite you to try these various breathing techniques to see if they may be helpful for you and/or your clients. Please remember that, as you are learning these techniques, to always begin while seated or lying down in a safe and comfortable place. Some of these techniques may initially make you feel a bit lightheaded, until you get used to them. For the majority of these breathing techniques, unless otherwise noted, it is not advised that you perform them while driving or operating machinery. These breathing techniques have the power to be very relaxing!

1. Follow Your Breath

From Dr. Andrew Weil’s mindbody tool kit and audiobook, Breathing: The Master Key to Self-Healing. “This is a simple and powerful form of meditation, a relaxation method, and a way to harmonize body, mind, and spirit.” Steps: “1. Sit in a comfortable position with your eyes closed and your back straight. Loosen any tight clothing. 2. Focus your attention on your breathing without trying to influence it in any way. 3. Follow the contours of the breath cycle through inhalation and exhalation and see if you can perceive the points at which one phase changes into the other. 4. Do this for at least a few minutes.”

2. Centering

Centering is a simple, yet powerful, meditation and breathing technique. Sitting or lying down in a comfortable position, close your eyes and breathe normally. Focus your breath on how your body feels as the oxygen enters your body on the inhale and how the carbon dioxide feels as it leaves your body. Just breathing in and out as you normally would do, but instead of focusing on other things, focus solely on your breath. If your mind begins to think of other things, once you are aware of this, just bring your attention back again to your breath. It is normal for our minds to wander, especially in the early stages of this type of exercise. Don’t worry. When you think of something else, just once again bring your attention back to your breath. Try to begin with a goal of doing this for two minutes and then gradually increasing your time to five minutes twice a day. Once you become proficient with this, you can extend the time as you desire.

3. Begin with an Exhalation (also known as Reverse Breathing)

From Dr. Andrew Weil’s mindbody tool kit and audiobook, Breathing: The Master Key to Self-Healing. “Although breathing is an endless cycle, with no beginning and no end, we tend to impose a pattern on it by imagining that each breath begins when we inhale and ends when we exhale. Yet in Eastern cultures, the opposite is true: The Chinese character for breath consists of two components, one that means ‘exhalation’ and one that means ‘inhalation,’ and exhalation comes first. In this exercise, try to reverse your perception of breathing. The easiest way to deepen respiration is to think about exhalation as the first part of the cycle and not worry at all about inhalation.”

4. Squeeze Out More Air

From Dr. Andrew Weil’s mindbody tool kit and audiobook, Breathing: The Master Key to Self-Healing. “The best way to deepen respiration is by exhaling more air, not inhaling it. If you push more air out of your lungs, your lungs will automatically take more in – and the more air you exchange, the healthier you’ll be. Your blood will be more oxygenated, your brain will be more oxygenated, and you’ll get rid of more waste products of metabolism. Steps: 1. Take a deep breath, letting all the air out effortlessly. 2. At the end of your breath cycle, try squeezing out more air. To do this you will be using your intercostal muscles (found between your ribs), so you’ll probably feel the difference as these muscles compress your rib cage. 3. Try to make your exhalation last as long as or slightly longer than your inhalation.”

5. Breathe Slower, Deeper, Quieter, and More Regular

From Dr. Andrew Weil’s mindbody tool kit and audiobook, Breathing: The Master Key to Self-Healing. “As simple as it sounds, one of the most effective ways to relax and control stress is to take a series of slow, deep breaths. You can consciously change the rhythm and depth of your breathing – and by making these subtle changes, you can significantly affect your ability to handle stress and other emotions. There’s a definite link between calm emotional states and slow, deep, quiet, and more-regular breaths.”

6. Let Yourself Be Breathed

From Dr. Andrew Weil’s mindbody tool kit and audiobook, Breathing: The Master Key to Self-Healing. “This is an imaginative form of breath work that will help you relax and is fun to do. Steps: 1. Close your eyes, letting your arms rest alongside your body, and focus your attention on your breath without trying to influence it. 2. Imagine that with each inhalation the universe is blowing breath into you, and with each exhalation it is withdrawing breath from you. 3. Picture yourself as the passive recipient of breath. As the universe breathes into you, let yourself feel the breath penetrating to every part of your body, even to your fingers and toes. 4. Try to hold onto this image in your mind through ten breath cycles. Do this once a day.”

7. The Relaxing Breath (also known as 4-7-8 Breathing)

Developed by Dr. Andrew Weil, this breathing technique is very effective to quickly calm you when needed. Below is his video demonstrating the technique:

8. 4-8 Breathing

I developed the 4-8 Breathing technique as an adaption from Dr. Weil’s 4-7-8 Breathing technique. One of the primary differences between these two techniques is the length of time in which they can be performed. 4-8 Breathing, once learned, can be used for extensive periods of time. I have found it to be very helpful during times of acute stress. Below is the video I recorded that demonstrates 4-8 Breathing:

9. The Stimulating Breath (also known as the Bellows Breath)

From Dr. Andrew Weil’s mindbody tool kit and audiobook, Breathing: The Master Key to Self-Healing. “For a quick pick-me-up that works faster than a cup of coffee. Steps: 1. Sit with your back straight and put your tongue in the yogic position: Touch the tip of your tongue to the back of your upper front teeth and slide it up until it rests on the ridge of tissue between your teeth and palate. Hold it there throughout this exercise. 2. Breathe in and out very rapidly through your nose, keeping your mouth lightly closed. Your inhalations and exhalations should be of equal length and as short as possible – as many as three cycles per second. When starting out, do this exercise just once a day and try to do it for no longer than ten seconds. Then breathe normally. The next time you try it, increase the duration by five seconds, if you can. Over time, see if you can work up to a full minute.”

10. Breathe Abdominally

From Dr. Andrew Weil’s mindbody tool kit and audiobook, Breathing: The Master Key to Self-Healing. “To take the fullest kind of breath, you have to do what is called ‘abdominal breathing’ – that is, when you take a deep breath, your belly should move outward. Steps: 1. Put your hand on your abdomen. 2. See whether it moves outward as your belly expands.”

11. Exhale When You Anticipate Pain Upon Movement

Many people will hold their breath when they anticipate pain, such as standing up from a seated position. When we hold our breath, we signal to our brain that there is something wrong. When we continue breathing deeply during painful movements, we can help to close the pain gates in our brain. So, just prior to making that anticipated painful movement, take a deep breath in and exhale forcefully while engaging in the movement. You may notice less pain as a result.

12. Circular Breathing

Circular breathing is a technique espoused by Dr. Maggie Phillips in Reversing Chronic Pain. “With this approach, imagine that your breath flows up one side of your body as you inhale and goes down the other side of your body as you exhale. It is usually more effective to link breathing in with the less painful side of your body and breathing out with the more painful side. For example, if your right shoulder and neck are usually in pain, imagine breathing up the left side of your body, visiting places of relative comfort, and breathing out the right side of your body, imaging that your breath touches areas of discomfort and pain. If this is not effective, reverse the order, breathing up the painful side of the body and exhaling down the more comfortable side. Repeat this for five to ten breath cycles.”

13. Breathing in Cold Weather Conditions

When outside in cold weather conditions, remember to breathe through your nose instead of your mouth. Breathing air through your nose warms and humidifies the air before it gets to your airway/lungs.

14. Overenergy Correction

As mentioned above (and below), sometimes when we are in pain, our breathing becomes dysregulated. This can lead to increased stress, feelings of overwhelm, and heightened sensitivity in addition to our already increased pain. One way of dealing with this is through Overenergy Correction, which combines energy work and breath work. Below is a video of the Overenergy Correction Exercise, which can be very helpful when feeling overwhelmed or extremely stressed:

15. Calming Breath

From Reversing Chronic Pain by Maggie Phillips, PhD. “Sitting or lying comfortably, inhale through your nose only until your abdomen is filled with air, then allow the air to fill your lungs. Hold the breath briefly and then exhale slowly through your nose, first emptying the lungs and then the abdomen. It may help to put one hand on your diaphragm just above your belly button and the other on your chest to better feel these changes. Complete five of these breath cycles. Breathe normally for a minute or so and then repeat five calming breaths again.”

16. Foursquare Breathing

From Reversing Chronic Pain by Maggie Phillips, PhD. “Foursquare breathing involves making a square in your breath cycle. Inhale for a count of four, hold for a count of four, exhale for four, and hold again for four. Repeat for a total of ten full breath cycles.”

17. Purifying Breath

From Reversing Chronic Pain by Maggie Phillips, PhD. “Imagine that your body is surrounded by light, healing sound, color, or healing presence (any one of these or a combination that works for you). As you inhale, imagine that you are sending that light into your lungs and abdomen and throughout the rest of your body. As you exhale, imagine what is being expelled from your body – perhaps tension or constriction, sensations of discomfort, stress, pain, worry, or feelings of emotional pain. Repeat this process for five to ten breath cycles.”

18. White Light Guided Imagery

And, as an extra bonus for clinicians, I have prepared a White Light Guided Imagery script for your use while in session with clients. This will allow you to have a 1:1 experience with clients who would benefit from breath work and relaxation. The script is a “word for word” replica of the guided imagery audio above. In addition, it provides helpful tips for utilizing guided imagery experiences in clinical settings. Click on White Light Guided Imagery Script for access to the PDF document.

Conclusion

Resources

Audio and Video Links

• 4-7-8 Breathing (The Relaxing Breath) Video
• 4-8 Breathing (Just Breathe) Video
• Overenergy Correction Video
• White Light Guided Imagery Audio

Authors

Andrew Weil, MD is one of the most well-respected figures in the field of Integrative Medicine. A well-known author and Medical Director of the Integrative Medicine program at the University of Arizona, Dr. Weil has written that breath work is one of the most prescribed techniques he utilizes in his work with others. Integrative medicine combines the best ideas and practices of both conventional and alternative medicine.

Over the years, I have worked with many clients with chronic pain. Although breath work is not used exclusively with issues related to pain, it can be very helpful for those who experience pain. One of the prominent figures in this area is Maggie Phillips, PhD. In Reversing Chronic Pain, she states that “shifting the breath can immediately turn on the restorative, calming branch of the nervous system known as the parasympathetic system. One simple, conscious breath can help close the pain gates, stimulate the brain to create pain-relieving chemicals (such as endorphins), and balance the fight/flight/freeze reactions responsible for transmission of pain through the nervous system. The truth is, learning how to breathe properly, especially at times of increased pain and stress, is the single most important skill you can learn.”

Books and Toolkit Links

• Breathing: The Master Key to Self-Healing by Andrew Weil, MD
• Dr. Andrew Weil’s Mind-Body Tool Kit by Andrew Weil, MD
• Reversing Chronic Pain by Maggie Phillips, PhD

Related Post Links

• Don’t Let Cold Weather Freeze You in Your Tracks! Cold Weather Tips
• Feeling Overwhelmed?
• Pain Management: Alternative Treatment Approaches
• Stress and The Silent To-Do List: Clinical Perspectives

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