Mastering Deep Breathing: A Simple Tool To Calm Your Mind and Body

Deep breathing is one of the easiest ways to calm your nervous system down quickly, so you can experience a state of calm, free of stress, anxiety, and worry.

There is a direct link between your autonomic nervous system and your breath. When you become stressed, your breathing becomes shallow and rapid. The inverse is also true—when you are relaxed, your breathing deepens. By intentionally deepening your breath, you can induce a state of relaxation. Deep breathing is one of the simplest ways to calm your nervous system quickly.

You can deepen your breath in moments of stress to calm down. Additionally, being mindful of your breath and practicing deep breathing throughout the day can help maintain a sense of calm. This can be done informally while you go about your daily activities or more formally with intentional time set aside (e.g., 5-10 minutes) for deep breathing as a meditation.

Understanding Deep Breathing

To understand deep breathing, it’s helpful to know some basic anatomy. A muscle called the diaphragm sits between your lungs and abdomen. It looks like an umbrella. When you take a deep breath, the diaphragm flattens downward, which can cause your belly to rise slightly. This is why deep breathing is sometimes called “belly breathing,” but a more accurate term is “diaphragmatic breathing.”

Common Deep Breathing Misconceptions

1. You need a long meditation practice to benefit. This is not true. In reality, even three mindful deep breaths can have a noticeable physiological benefit.

2. You should only focus on belly breathing. This is an oversimplification. Instead, focus on breathing into your ribcage, feeling it expand in all directions. This ensures proper diaphragm movement.

3. Deep breathing is just “woo-woo” and has no evidence behind it. In reality, there is a lot of evidence behind deep breathing. It has a measurable impact on your body. There are even wearable devices that track these changes.

4. Longer breaths are always better. This is not necessarily true. For beginners, forcing longer breaths can cause anxiety. Find a comfortable length where your breath is deeper and longer than usual but doesn’t feel strained.

5. If deep breathing feels hard, you should force yourself to do it anyway. I do not promote this. Forcing it can lead to tension. Instead, invite your breath to go deeper by relaxing the muscles around your lungs. Forcing will only create more stress.

Diaphragmatic Breathing Steps

1. First, decide if you’ll do a formal deep breathing meditation or an informal practice throughout the day, such as while walking, driving, or talking with a friend. If you're doing a formal practice, get into a comfortable position.

2. Bring your awareness to your breath and the muscles around your lungs—your neck, back, chest, shoulders, and abdomen. Notice any tension or shallowness in your breathing.

3. Without forcing, try to soften any tension you find.

4. Then, see if you can gently invite your breath to deepen. As you do this, feel your ribcage expand in all directions. Your belly may rise as a result.

5. Stay with this practice for as long as you'd like, whether it’s just a few breaths or a longer meditation. Be mindful of your breath throughout.

6. When you’re finished, notice how you feel. Try to carry the relaxation from your deep breathing into the rest of your day.

   
   

*If you prefer a guided meditation, I’ve created two options: one is 6 minutes, and the other is 10 minutes. These meditations are free and accessible on both your desktop and smartphone through the Insight Timer app.

Deep Breathing SMART Goal

Learning a new technique is just the first step. Now, decide how to incorporate this activity into your life by answering the following questions:

1. Do you see this exercise helping you?

2. In what situations will it help you?

3. How often do you want to do this activity?

4. How long can you realistically commit to doing this each time?

5. How long do you feel comfortable committing to this activity initially? (A 21-day commitment is helpful for building a habit.)

Using your answers, create a SMART goal—specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. For example: "I will do a 6-minute mindfulness breathing meditation every weekday morning upon waking to set myself up for a calm day for the next 30 days."

This goal is:

• Specific: It states exactly what you will do.

• Measurable: It sets the time (6 minutes), frequency (5 days per week), and time of day (in the morning).

• Attainable & Realistic: A 6-minute practice is achievable for most people.

• Time-bound: The goal is set for 30 days.

Write down your deep breathing SMART goal somewhere you will remember it, and make a plan to put it into place. Before you know it, you'll feel much calmer and more relaxed!

I hope this blog post was helpful. Deep breathing is something I teach my clients. If you're interested in learning this practice 1 on 1, or are interested in a holistic therapy approach that includes deep breathing, you can reach out and request a consult here.

-Emma