What is Belly Breathing? Benefits of Belly Breathing
By Aasha Foster-Mahfuz, PhD
What is belly breathing?
Take a second and check-in with yourself. How are you feeling? Notice any tension in your body—hands, feet, hips, shoulders or chest. Now, take a nice deep breath in through your nose, so deep that you can watch your belly expand. Now slowly exhale through your mouth. Slowly as if you were trying to blow a delicate feather along the table without blowing it completely away. Now how do you feel?
This is a technique for relaxation called belly breathing. It can help you regain focus and calm during times of increased stress, anxiety, or if you’re feeling more tense. This type of breathing can be done virtually anywhere. In my own practice, I’ve found that practicing my breathing during my commute is the most convenient.
Belly breathing, and other types of breathing exercises, work by telling your body that it is okay, it’s safe, and can relax. Specifically, it activates your parasympathetic system or the “rest and digest '' system which counters the sympathetic system or the “fight or flight” system. It helps restore blood flow throughout the body which can aid in improving focus and provide a small burst of energy.
When you should belly breathe
But don’t wait to practice breathing exercises when you are already anxious! It is important to practice during calmer times so that the body learns to revert to this state during stressful moments. Sometimes, our bodies can still feel keyed up or tense even after we’ve been able to determine that we are stressed but not in crisis. This is because our bodies do not intuitively know the difference and require more physical soothing to get on the same page. Belly breathing can be an effective method of physical soothing because it tells the body what our minds already know (i.e., “we’ll be okay”).
3 Techniques for belly breathing
Here are a few more breathing exercises to practice to reduce stress.
1. Square Breathing (also called Foursquare Breathing)
Breathe deeply, so that your belly expands and contracts like a balloon with each breath. Inhale through the nose or mouth for a count of 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, then hold again to a count of 4.
2. 4-7-8 Breathing
Inhale through your nose for a count of 4, hold for a count of 7, then exhale for a count of 8. It helps to make a soft “whooshing” sound with your mouth as you breathe out.
3. Belly breathing, Part 2
Combining belly breathing with a simple 10 count can help limit distractions while you de-stress. After each exhale count backwards from 10 until you get to 1. Start over if you feel that you need more time or lose count. Repeat the above exercises as often or as long as you feel you need to find your sense of calm.
About the Therapist: Dr. Aasha Foster-Mahfuz is an NYS licensed psychologist who treats elevator rides like personal moments for belly breathing and fantasizing about large backyards for her dogs.