How To Breathe Through The Holiday Stress

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How To Breathe Through The Holiday Stress

Words by Ms Suze Olbrich

19 December 2019

Three techniques from The Breath Guy to get you through Christmas

01.

To help you sleep before Santa comes

This technique is called ladder breathing. You progressively increase the length of your inhales and exhales, concentrating on what it feels like to change the rhythm of your breathing as your nervous system is slowly calmed. This slow breathing promotes parasympathetic activity (the part of the nervous system responsible for rest and relaxation response) while the change in counts keeps the mind occupied.

  • To be performed while lying in bed.
  • Inhale gently through your nose for a count of 4 seconds.
  • Exhale gently through your nose for a count of 4 seconds.
  • Next inhale for a count of 5 seconds and then exhale for a count of 5 seconds.
  • Keep increasing the length of your inhales and exhales until you get to 10 seconds in and 10 seconds out.
  • Once you reach 10 seconds, you can either continue to breathe at this pace, keep increasing the length of your inhales and exhales or even go up and down the ladder. If you choose to come back down, I wouldn’t go back any lower than 6 seconds per inhale and exhale.

02.

Stress when dealing with the family on Christmas Day

This technique is called 5.00pm breathing and calms down the nervous system in times of stress. It has this name because 5.00pm is supposed to be that joyous moment where most of us get to knock off work, relax, let our hair down and have a cocktail. It also stands for five breaths per minute and is designed to help you wind down and de-stress your internal systems. • Start in a seated or lying position.

  • Put one or both hands over your belly button so you can feel the movement of your abdomen.
  • Inhale for 4 seconds through your nose and feel your hands rise or move outwards a few centimetres.
  • Exhale for 6 seconds through your nose and feel your hands fall inwards a few centimetres. No need to empty your lungs all the way, just exhale slowly until your lungs feel comfortably empty.
  • Hold your breathe for 2 seconds.
  • That is one breath cycle. Repeat this breath cycle at least 10 times, or until you have reached your desired state of relaxation.

03.

To stimulate digestion before Christmas dinner

You can stimulate blood flow and fire up your digestive system with deep abdominal breathing. This technique is called bellows breathing and involves inhaling deeply and exhaling completely.

  • Start in a seated or lying position.
  • Put one or both hands over your belly button so you can feel the movement of your abdomen.
  • Inhale through your nose and fill up your lungs as much as you can (no need to strain too much). Feel your hands rise or move outwards a few centimetres as you breathe into your belly.
  • Exhale out through your mouth and empty your lungs completely. You should feel a light contraction in your abs and lower back.
  • Repeat this breath 5 times and then rest (breathing normally) for 20 to 30 seconds.
  • Repeat another 5 times, then finish with 1 or 2 minutes of 5pm breathing (see above).

Exhale: How To Use Breathwork To Find Calm, Supercharge Your Health And Perform At Your Best (Penguin Life) by Mr Richie Bostock is out on 3 September 2020

**Click here for details of Mr Bostock’s workshops **

For advice on medical issues, you should always consult your local doctor or medical practitioner

Illustration by Mr Iker Ayestaran