Deep breathing exercises are a great way to relax and de-stress, but sometimes they can be a little bit tricky to get the hang of. In this blog post, I will discuss some tips that will help you make your deep breathing techniques more effective!

1. Breathe into your belly, not your chest.

The most common mistake I see people make when doing breathing exercises is that they aren’t breathing deep enough. A quick way to see if you are breathing deep enough is to pay attention to what part of your body fills with air as you breathe in. If your chest and shoulders rise, that isn’t deep enough. You should see your belly rise and fall while doing deep breathing exercises. When I practice deep breathing, I place one hand on my chest and one hand on my belly and I challenge myself to only make the hand on my belly move. Providing the extra focus on which hand to move also helps to concentrate on the breathing itself. Win-win!

2. Try to focus on your breath

You really shouldn’t be trying to figure out what to make for dinner tonight while you practice deep breathing. The physical act of breathing is only half of the process. The other half involves mindfulness. Mindful breathing means you are focusing your thoughts on the here and now. In that moment if you are doing deep breathing, your thoughts should be immersed in the process. You can recite mantras or affirmations to yourself, or coaching yourself to breathe “In, and out.” Counting along is another way to keep your mind focused. I like to breathe in to a count of 4, hold for 4, breathe out for 4, and hold again for 4. This is also called square or box breathing.

3. Practice when you are already calm.

When working with kids, I find that parents often make the mistake of only bringing up deep breathing when the kid is already upset. This is a mistake because a child will most likely refuse to do something they aren’t familiar with when they are upset. Instead, integrate the practice of deep breathing into an already established routine that is already calm. That way, deep breathing will be associated with the feeling of being calm. Bedtime routines are a perfect time to implement some deep breathing techniques. The idea is to get them accustomed to it to a point where they can do it without thinking. That will increase the likelihood that they actually use the techniques when they get upset.

Thank you for joining me for these quick tips on how to improve your deep breathing techniques. Used properly, deep breathing can be a helpful tool in increasing your mindfulness and relaxation.

Stay tuned for more mindfulness and mental health content!