Learn to Belly Breathe: A Mindfulness Technique

Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Now take a deep breath. Which hand moved? We hate to break it to you but if the hand on your chest moved you are breathing all wrong. Unsure? Try again and notice if your shoulders were rising to your ears - that would suggest you are breathing from your chest. 

When you breathe from your chest you are taking shallow breaths creating an imbalance between the amount of O2 your body takes in and the amount of CO2 your body puts out. Learning to breathe from your belly (have you ever watched a baby sleep? how about a puppy?) can help you regulate your emotions. 

Now try placing your hands on your chest and belly again but this time imagine there is a balloon in your belly. What colour is your balloon?

Now fill your balloon with each breath. Try to exhale 2 beats longer than your inhale. That way, you are tricking your body out of a fight-or-flight response. Don’t worry if you are having trouble, retraining your breath takes time. Practice this for a few minutes each day and you will be a gold medal belly breather in no time.