Breathing exercises to reduce stress
Registered yoga teacher Dana Taft demonstrates some breathing exercises to reduce stress.
Transcript
Hi, my name is Dana Taft. And these are breathing techniques to help reduce stress and invite calm into your everyday life.
For the first technique, this is Cooling Breath. As you inhale, you'll create a small o,
almost like you're breathing in a straw with your lips. For your exhale, you'll make a wide o,
as if you're fogging up a mirror. Sit nice and tall.
Ground down through your feet. 10 calming breaths.
Come back to your standard breath. Any time you feel overheated or need to invite calm,
you can add that calming breath. The next breath will be nadi shuddhi.
This is a nostril breath, where you're going to invite balance from the left side of your body
to the right side. Using your fingers, soften the middle three fingers as your outside fingers stick out.
Press one finger against one side of your nose as you breathe in.
To exhale, switch the grip and breathe out the other side of your nose.
Nadi shuddhi, five times. Inhale. Exhale.
Do that same breath, alternating your start point. Breathe in.
Breathe out.
The final breath I would like to show you is a box breathing technique. This breath is for a four count, as if you are
creating the shape of a box. Your inhale will hold for four breaths. Then you'll hold for a pause of four, exhale for four,
hold once again for four. You can also do this breath using a pin as your guide
while you breathe. Box breath. Inhale.
Hold it. Exhale.
Hold. Again, breathe in.
Hold. Breathe out.
Hold. One more time.
Hold. Exhale.
Hold. Great job. Integrate intentional breathing to help
stress management
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