- Meegan Bradley
- August 21, 2020
COFFEE, WATER, WHISKEY BREATH – BREATHING TECHNIQUES FOR ANY OCCASION
YOU'VE HEARD BREATHE DEEPLY WHEN YOU'RE STRESSED BUT YOU'RE NOT REALLY SURE WHY? HERE ARE 3 DIFFERENT BREATHING TECHNIQUES WITH NAMES YOU WON'T FORGET AND RESULTS WITH AN IMPACT!
BREATHING TECHNIQUES YOU SHOULD PRACTICE AND INCLUDE IN YOUR DAILY LIFE
When you get scared, shocked or frightened what kind of breath do you take?
A BIG FAT INAHLE.
Gasping breath in and maybe even holding or stopping breathing after. It can take a while to come back after this while your sympathetic nervous system is going haywire.
We need our sympathetic nervous system to keep us safe and on our toes BUT we need to have the tools to help us calm back down and feel grounded.
Most of us exist in the sympathetic nervous system longer than we should. We are constantly plugged in, multi-tasking and running on empty. We know we are doing it but we don’t know how to fix it or where to start.
YOU'RE ALREADY DOING IT
Breathing can get you started.
This is a tool you already have guys. You just need to learn some techniques using your breath that can help you gain control of your emotions, calm down, feel grounded, feel energised and feel confident.
These 3 techniques are easy to do and can be used at any point in your day. Give them a go and understand what scenarios they work best with. Once you know them you can start slotting them into your day when you feel like you need them most.
WATER BREATHING - NO SWIMSUIT REQUIRED
This is a BALANCING BREATH that is really good to help you feel calmer and more grounded. Doing this style of breathing will get you 4-6 breaths a minute. This breath evens out how you’re feeling. If you’re feeling stressed it will calm you down, if you’re feeling sad it will make you feel lighter, if you’re feeling jittery it will ground you.
You don’t need to be anywhere special to do this style of breathing. You can do this in a yoga class, at the dinner table, at work or even while you’re driving! Yes it’s that easy.
This breath is always suitable and totally safe. Everyone should be able to practice this and definitely could benefit from it.
HOW TO:
- Inhale through your nose to the count of 1-2-3-4
- Exhale through your nose to the count of 4-3-2-1
- Repeat for at least 10 rounds (approx 5 min)
COFFEE BREATHING - CAFFEINE FREE
The clue is in the name folks! This breath gets you moving and is an up-regulating breath, opposite of whiskey breath. This is where it is important to know that stimulating the sympathetic nervous system isn’t always bad. It’s about balance.
I would highly recommend a book called the UPSIDE TO STRESS to get another perspective on stress. This breathing technique gets you breathing at 20 of more breaths a minute.
You might want to do this style of breathing if you struggle to wake up in the morning, before exercise, before sport and before a big task you need to do at work or home.
This style of fast breathing reduces CO2 in the bloodstream. This leads to a constriction of your breathing passageways and veins, sounds scary but isn’t if not done for prolonged periods of time. So it should be practiced briefly, with care, and only at appropriate times. Never practice while driving.
How to Practice:
- Sit down on the floor or in a chair
- Exhale sharply through your nose as if sneezing
- Keep your face, neck, shoulders, and chest still while you “sneeze” the air out
- After you force the air out, relax and let the partial inhale happen all on its own
- Repeat for 20 rounds
- Rest
- Repeat for 20 rounds
- Rest
- Repeat a third time
WHISKEY BREATHING - TOTALLY 0% ALCOHOL
This breath is a DOWN-REGULATING breath. This slows things down and chills you out- like a smooth glass of aged whiskey. When we slow the breath down we stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system.
Why is this good? When we move away from the sympathetic nervous system we slow down the heart, we improve digestion, reduced tension and improves mental health.
This type of breath is ideal to do when you don’t need to get really active and engaged, not just before a big meeting or presentation.
Want to digest a big meal? Whiskey breathe. Want to have a deeper sleep? Whiskey breath. Want to calm down after a stressful day? Whiskey breath.
Ideally done at home, laying down or seating and not while driving!
How to Practice:
- Sit down or lie down in bed
- Inhale through your nose to the count of 1-2-3-4
- Hold 1-2-3-4
- Exhale through your nose to the count of 4-3-2-1
- Hold 4-3-2-1
- Repeat for at least 10 rounds (approx 10 min)
- Practice only while seated or lying down (never while driving)
WANT TO TRY IT OUT?
Meegan Bradley
Yoga Trainer & Wellness Coach
- Meegan Bradley
- August 21, 2020
- No Comments
- LIFESTYLE, MEDITATION, YOGA
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February 24, 2021
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