Simple Breathing Exercises to Feel Calmer
Four to Try Today

Breathing is the one thing you have been doing without instruction since the day you were born, which makes it a slightly odd candidate for practice. It is also the only part of your nervous system you can reach directly and on purpose.

You do not need a mat, a quiet room, or twenty minutes. Most of what follows takes two. Our breathing exercises for relaxation classes go deeper if you would like guidance.

Longer Out Than In

Start here, because it is the whole idea in one line. Breathe in for a count of four, out for a count of six. Keep it comfortable - if six feels like a stretch, use five. Two minutes is a useful dose. This is the version to reach for in a car park, on a train, or in the four minutes before a difficult conversation, because nobody can tell you are doing it.

Four Worth Learning

Try one at a time rather than all four. Most people end up with a favourite and quietly ignore the rest, which is completely fine.

• Belly breathing - one hand on the belly, one on the chest, aiming for the lower hand to move more. Good when breathing sits high and tight.
• Four in, six out - the everyday workhorse. Two minutes, eyes open or closed.
• Box breathing - in four, hold four, out four, hold four. The counting gives a busy mind a job.
• Alternate nostril breathing - thumb and ring finger closing one side at a time. Slow, absorbing, and best learned with a teacher watching.

When to Use Which

Belly breathing suits the middle of a stressful afternoon, when your shoulders are doing the breathing for you. Four in, six out is the one for winding down at night or steadying yourself before something you feel nervous about. Box breathing helps when the issue is a racing mind rather than a racing heart. Alternate nostril tends to work best as a proper sit-down practice, five or ten minutes, rather than something snatched between tasks.

The Habit That Matters Most

None of this needs to be a session. The people who get the most out of breathwork tend to be the ones who notice their breath several times a day - waiting for the kettle, stopped at a red light, before opening their inbox - and take three slow ones. That is it. Practising when things are calm is what makes it available when they are not. Results vary, and a few minutes most days is plenty. For the same idea with movement, try yoga for anxiety and stress.