12 Breathing Exercises Safe for Everyone

Breathing is an essential and often overlooked aspect of our daily lives. It not only keeps us alive but also plays a critical role in our overall health and well-being. Whether you're looking to reduce stress, improve lung capacity, or simply enhance your mindfulness practice, incorporating breathing exercises into your routine can offer a multitude of benefits.

In this blog post, we'll explore 12 breathing exercises that are safe for everyone, with the exception of those who are pregnant. These exercises are designed to be accessible and effective, regardless of your age, fitness level, or experience with breathwork. From calming techniques to energizing practices, you'll find a variety of methods to help you breathe better and feel better.

So, take a deep breath and get ready to discover how these simple yet powerful breathing exercises can transform your life.

Breathing Exercises

4-7-8 Breathing

The 4-7-8 breathing technique, also known as the "relaxing breath," is a simple and effective method for reducing stress and promoting relaxation. Developed by Dr. Andrew Weil, this breathing exercise can help calm your mind, improve sleep, and enhance overall well-being.

Instructions: Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose for a count of 4. Relax and hold your breath for a count of 7. Exhale completely through your nose for a count of 8. Repeat

Cadence Breathing

Cadence breathing, also known as rhythmic breathing or resonance frequency breathing can help reduce stress and anxiety, improve athletic performance, enhance focus and concentration, and support emotional wellbeing. I personally use this technique after physical exercise for my intentional cool down.

Instructions: Choose a breathing ratio, perhaps 5 to 5, where you inhale for a count of 5 seconds and exhale for a count of 5 seconds. You can do this laying down on your back (like I do post workout) or sitting upright with the natural curves of the spine.

Breathe Light

Breathe Light is a technique coined by the Oxygen Advantage® that helps to improve oxygen delivery throughout the body as well as down-regulate the nervous system. It can be tricky at first to feel if you’re doing it “right”, but the goal is to simply breathe while maintaining a very small sensation of air hunger. Air hunger signals increased levels of carbon dioxide in the blood and lungs, which is needed to transport oxygen to cells throughout the body.

Instructions: Sit or lay comfortably, relaxing the face and bringing your attention to your nostrils. As you breathe in and out through your nose, gradually begin to make the breath more subtle and small. Once you feel a small amount of air hunger, continue to maintain the breathing pattern. If the sensation of air hunger becomes stressful, you’ve gone too light. If that happens, just take a few normal breaths and try again. Try to breathe lightly for two minutes and see how you feel.

Walking Breath Holds

Holding your breath while walking is a fantastic way to improve your tolerance to carbon dioxide and turn your daily walks into breath training sessions. When you hold your breath after an exhalation, the level of carbon dioxide rises in blood, which helps to deliver more oxygen throughout the body via the Bohr Effect. If you hold your breath while walking, as a byproduct of cellular metabolism, more CO2 is discarded into the bloodstream, which increases the sensation of air hunger.

Instructions: As you walk, begin to focus on your breathing, taking a few full (but not dramatic) breaths in and out of the nose. After an exhale, hold your breath by gently pinching the nostrils closed, and walk 10-15 paces. Then, breathe in, controlling the inahaltion and trying not to gasp. Continue to breathe normally for 30 seconds before repeating the exercise. As your tolerance for air hunger increases, you can increase the amount of steps you take while holding the breath. Just always be sure to fully recover in between sets and to hold your breath after the exhale, NOT the inhale.

Box Breathing

Box breathing, used by Navy SEALS and yogis alike, helps to balance the nervous system by introducing a calm yet focused energy. The great part about this exercise is that it is customizable to the individual, and therefore appropriate for anyone.

Instructions: Determine the size of your “box”; I’d recommend starting with 4 or 5 seconds. Sit well with the natural curves of the spine. Inhale through your nose for a count of 4. Hold, and relax, full for a count 4, exhale through your nose for a count of 4. Pause empty and relax for a count of 4. Repeat.

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Alternate nostril breathing, also known as nadi shodhana pranayama, is an ancient technique for balancing the nervous system and activity in the hemispheres of the brain.

Instructions: Interlace your hands down to the webbing, releasing the thumbs to point upward. Your interlaced hands will look like you’re giving two thumbs up. Bring the pad of the right thumb to your right nostril and inhale through the left nostril. Switch, bring the pad of your left thumb to your left nostril and exhale through the right nostril. Inhale through the right nostril. Switch, place the pad of the right thumb on the right nostril again and breathe out through the left nostril. Repeat.

Humming Breathing

Humming is an excellent technique to incorporate into your breathwork because it increases your production of nasal nitric oxide. NO is a molecule responsible for dilating the airways and blood vessels to redistribute the blood throughout the lungs and improve gas exchange. It also has a slight sterilizing effect.

Instructions: Sit well with the natural curves of the spine. Gently place the tongue on the roof of your mouth and make sure your upper and lower rows of teeth aren’t touching. Inhale through your nose and hum out your exhale with your mouth closed. Repeat for 2 minutes.

Nasal Unblocking Exercise

This exercise was invented by the Oxygen Advantage® to help clear congestion in the nasal passages as well as improves oxygen delivery to the body and brain. It is similar to the walking breath holds exercise above, only for this one you can remain seated.

Instructions: Sit well with the natural curves of the spine. Place the tongue on the roof of your mouth and separate your upper and lower row of teeth so they aren’t touching. Inhale calmly through the nose, exhale normally. Gently pinch the nostrils closed, and hold your breath empty. Begin to slowly bob your head up and down until your feel a medium amount of air hunger. When you’re ready to breath in, remove your hand, and breathe in calmly, trying not to gasp. Resume normal breathing for 20-30 seconds and repeat 5 times.

Left Nostril Breathing

Ancient yogis believed what modern science can now show through imaging technology: each nostril has a contralateral relationship with the hemispheres of the brain. In other words, your left nostril is connected to your right brain hemisphere and your right nostril is connected to your left brain hemisphere. When you breathe through just one nostril, imaging studies have shown that there is more neural activity in the contralaterally corresponding brain hemisphere. These studies have shown that left nostril breathing is more down-regulating for the body compared to right nostril breathing.

Instructions: Sit well and place the pad of the right thumb under the right nostril to block the airflow. Begin to breathe calmly in and out of the left nostril only. Try this technique for 3 minutes.

Letter H Breathing

I learned Letter H breathing from my husband, who is a trained Shakespeare actor. He was often taught this technique by his voice coaches to maintain a sense of deep breathing. I’ve become rather fond of it myself. This is one a standing technique, so it can be used when waiting in line or waiting for the kettle to boil.

Instructions: Stand with your feet at a hips’ width distance balancing the weight evenly between the balls of the feet and the heels. Envision your body like the letter H, with your legs representing the lower legs of the letter, and your torso representing the upper legs of the letter. Inhale first, imagining the air moving down into the bottom of the H, then continue to inhale imaging the air moving to the upper half of the H. Exhale slowly. Repeat. It should feel first as if the inhale grounds you, then uplifts you.

3-Part Breath

The 3-Part breath, also known as the complete yogic breath helps to improve lung capacity and slow down the rate of respiration.

Instructions: Sit well with the natural curves of the spine. Place the tongue to fit the roof of the mouth and make sure your upper and lower rows of teeth aren’t touching. Inhale first into the region of the belly, continue your inhale into the side ribs, and finish the inhale at the level of the chest. Exhale one continuous smooth, quiet exhale. Note that when you begin to breathe into the ribs, the belly will naturally hollow back a bit. Repeat for 5 minutes.