Why is everyone always telling me to take deep breaths?

Raise your hand if you have been to therapy, and one of the first skills you are told to use is deep breathing. I am sure this has been the experience of many. In my practice, I tend to notice that when this skill is mentioned, clients may express a few of the following remarks: “Deep breathing is challenging for me,” “I’ve tried that before, and it didn’t help,” “I don’t understand how breathing will help me,” etc. 

When clients are experiencing difficulty with breathing or are confused about how it could help them cope, it can be useful to describe what breathing does inside our body at the biological level, psychoeducation on the importance of consistency when using the skill, and the various kinds of breathing you can engage in.

What is happening to me biologically when I take deep breaths?

Deep breathing supports a range of physiological processes that help your body function efficiently and manage stress, one of the most important of which is parasympathetic activation. Our parasympathetic nervous system is the “rest and digest” portion of our central nervous system. When our PNS is activated, it reduces the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, which is associated with stress and the “fight or flight” response. This shift can reduce heart rate and blood pressure, promoting a sense of calm and relaxation. 

I like to tell clients that the out-breath is our key to parasympathetic calm. For example, we sigh out when we are attempting to relax. And we may breathe in sharply when surprised or scared. So it is often that elongating our out-breath to one and a half or two times the length of our in-breath can be the most beneficial in evoking general relaxation in the mind and body. 

Consistency when practicing coping skills 

When using any skill to manage emotions, it is important that we practice often and even when we are not feeling triggered. Let’s use a metaphor as an example: when we walk down the same path in the forest repeatedly, it becomes more worn down, right? The same is true for the neurological pathways in our brains. If we engage in the same behaviors over and over again, there will become a well-worn path inside that can be challenging to change or veer off from.

So, with deep breathing, as with many other skills, the key is to practice when you are feeling good, bad, neutral, and great! This will help the brain create a new, regulating mental pathway, so when you get to that super triggering moment in life, you can easily access that well-worn footpath of breathing and reconnecting with your body. 

Types of Deep Breathing 

There are several ways that one can practice breathing. I promise it can get more creative than simply breathing in and out. Take a look at the following examples:

Straw Breathing 

My personal favorite is straw breathing, where we take a deep inhale into our bellies through the nose and exhale slowly out the mouth like we are breathing through a straw. By pursing your lips together like you have a straw in your mouth, you will naturally slow down your out-breath, prompting more parasympathetic activation. 

Square Breathing 

Square breathing is when we breathe in for a count, hold, breathe out for a count, hold, and repeat. Depending on your lung capacity, you might breathe in for a count of four, hold at the top for a count of four, breathe out for four, and hold again for four before completing the same cycle several times. You can adjust the timing at each stage of the exercise depending on what feels best for your body. 

Lion’s Breath

Lion's breath is a yogic breathing technique that involves inhaling through the nose, and then exhaling forcefully through an open mouth while sticking out the tongue and making a "ha" sound. The technique is said to increase prana, or life force energy, and stretch the muscles in the face, neck, and throat. Some say it can also help boost confidence, clear the throat, and help people speak up. 

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Alternate nostril breathing, is a breathing exercise that involves breathing in through one nostril while keeping the other closed, then switching nostrils and repeating. This is another type of yogic breathing that is known to provoke calm and relaxation. 

Snot-Spoon Breathing 

I'm pretty sure I made this one up! BUT it is a great tool if you are looking to mesh together both grounding and breathing skills. The “snot spoon” is the little area on your face just below your nose :) The concept of this breathing exercise is that you want to pay attention to the subtle changes in temperature that occur on your snot spoon with each in and out breath. As you bring your attention to that space, you can deepen or elongate breaths as needed. This exercise can be helpful for people who may have trouble initially with deep breathing as a skill on its own!

Deep Belly Breathing

Place your left hand on your heart and your right hand on your belly, and focus on moving the right hand on your belly when breathing in and out. Sometimes, when we feel anxious, triggered, or stressed, our breath can get caught up in our throat and chest. Deep belly breathing can assist us in training our bodies to intake more oxygen when feeling overwhelmed. Tip: this is definitely a breathing skill that takes consistent practice! Especially if you are just getting into a breath work.

And I am sure there are so so many more. But I hope this can give you a good start and a bit of an explanation on how deep breathing can truly help us on our journey to healing.