Monitoring a regular breathing pattern helps to fight the evil effects of stress on the body. Before you can learn some stress reduction breathing techniques, though, you must learn proper basic breathing. You can start by lying down wherever you’re comfortable, the floor, a bed, or a couch. Be sure your legs are a little away from each other, your toes flow out from your body, your arms aren’t in contact with the other surfaces of your body, your eyes are closed, and your palms face above. Try not to breathe through your mouth, as nose breathing is better for the detoxification process. When you inhale, your lungs and your body’s midsection should move as one. As you breathe out, it should feel as if your stomach is releasing the air you’ve just consumed. Learning this can lead to proper practice of five simple breathing techniques for stress relief.

The first breathing technique that will help to eliminate stress is deep, relaxed breathing. Although the exercise itself can be practiced in any posture, it is best if you begin by lying down in your relaxed breathing position. Try placing your knees at an angle and ensure your feet are a hand’s width apart, your toes are turned away from each other, and your back is as straight as possible. Then put one of your hands on your midsection and one on your chest cavity. Breathe deeply through your nose into your stomach area to move your hand up as much as you are able. The hand on your chest should just barely move, and it should only move when the hand on your midsection does. You should keep going with this process until it becomes as natural as possible. The next step is to offer a smile as you take air in through your nose out through your mouth. The exhale portion of this breath should make a gentle noise, as the wind might make in the trees on a summer day. Listen and feel. When you first start this exercise, do it for five minutes. Try to work your way up to twenty minutes. Once you’ve finished, spend a few minutes without moving to allow your body to simply exist for a few moments.

Another quick breathing technique for stress reduction is a cleansing sigh. Begin this processes by sitting or standing with appropriate posture. Let out a gentle noise as you inhale deeply and sigh as much as your body will allow. The next inhale should be completely natural. This exercise can be repeated five to fifteen times.

An additional breathing exercise will not only relieve stress, but might also wake up the nervous and circulatory systems. You can start this one by standing as straight as you are able. Inhale and place your arms straight out in front of you. Begin to bring your hands toward your shoulder area, and as you do, ball up your fists. By the time your hands reach their destination, they should be tightly clenched. Keep them tight as you push your arms back into a position erect in front of your body. Repeat this exercise as quickly as you can ten to fifteen times.

The fourth breathing technique for stress relief is suggestive breathing. Start by relaxing your body in a horizontal state. Put both hands between your ribs and your stomach, and breathe deeply several times. Conceptualize that each breath you take is held where your hands now rest. As you let the air out, allow yourself to believe it is rushing to all parts of your body. Try this for five to ten minutes each day.

The final stress relief breathing technique is a rolling breath. For this exercise, unlike the others, you will need the help of a companion. Lie down and have your companion place one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Inhale deeply and imagine you are filling your companion’s hands with air, belly first, then chest. Watch his or her hands as they rise with your inhalation. Exhale deeply. Repeat and it will create a rolling effect with your partner’s hands.

These techniques are great for both dealing with and preventing stress.

 

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There are many forms of meditation and many are linked to certain religions or spiritual beliefs.  Hinduism has many schools of meditation, including yoga.  Buddhists use meditation to reach a state of enlightenment and many Jewish prayers are meditative in nature.  Even many Christian religions utilize forms of meditation, such as the use of rosary beads n Catholicism.

Meditation does not, however, have to be about a spiritual or religious journey.  Rather, it is a natural treatment for stress and anxiety that is accomplished by getting the mind, body, and spirit in balance.

To accomplish this, a person using meditation as a form of natural stress relief must find a quiet place.  There are no strict rules regarding body positioning when meditating, but most people who use meditation as a form of natural stress relief prefer to do so in the lotus position.  The lotus position involves sitting with the legs crossed while keeping the back straight and the shoulders level.  Yet other practitioners prefer to sit comfortably, but with the legs uncrossed.

No matter the general position chosen when using meditation for natural stress relief, it is best to keep the spine straight throughout the meditation process.  This position encourages circulation and makes it easier to breathe in the deep, slow fashion that is often necessary for meditation.

After finding a quiet place to perform meditation, and after assuming a position that is comfortable, it is time to begin this process of natural stress relief.  Some people prefer to remain quiet while meditating.  Still others close their eyes and hum or make other repetitive noises to help clear their minds and to block out thoughts and outside noises.

Many prefer to utilize specific breathing techniques and specific thoughts in order to reach a meditative and relaxed state.  One popular method is to focus on each individual part of the body. Give your self permission to relax until your entire body is relaxed.  At the same time, this method calls for taking a few deep breaths.  These are called cleansing breaths because they help clear the mind and bring a little extra oxygen into the blood.  After the cleansing breaths, subsequent breaths should be inhaled to the count of four, and then exhaled to the count of eight.  These counts help focus the breathing and clear the mind of other thoughts.

Unlike medication, there is no limit to the number of times meditation can be used.  This natural stress relief technique can be used as often as necessary and for as long as needed because it does not have the negative side effects of medication.  In fact, it is possible to gain relief from stress and anxiety with just a one-minute session of meditation, though 20-30 minutes of meditation is most common.

Many studies have been performed on the use of meditation as a form of natural stress relief.  These studies have shown that meditation does, indeed, lower the biochemical byproducts of stress.  Meditation has also been proven to reduce blood pressure and heart rate, as well as increase favorable brain waves.  This is unlike many stress-relieving medications, which may temporarily reduce feelings of stress, but can cause long-term harm to the body.

In fact, meditation is used often in hospitals with patients suffering from chronic or terminal illness to reduce stress.   This is especially important because stress has been shown to contribute to poor health.  A 1999 report by neurophysiologist Dr. James Austin from the University of Colorado stated that meditation actually reprograms brain circuitry.  His findings were later confirmed using imaging techniques that view electrical activity in the brain. 

Further studies at the Mind-Body Medical Institute, which is affiliated with Harvard and several other Boston hospitals, has found that meditation causes several biochemical and physical changes associated with relaxation, including changes in heart rate, metabolism, blood pressure, respiration, and brain chemistry. 

With all of the positive research surrounding meditation and relaxation breathing techniques, it is easy to see why thousands of people use the techniques every day to relieve stress and improve living.

 

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