DEEP DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING
By replacing the fast, upper-chest breathing of anxiety and panic with deep slow breathing,
where we breathe from the diaphragm (the muscular wall separating the lungs from the stomach)
we redress the oxygen-CO2 balance in the body and promote a feeling of calmness.
1. Take a deep breath in through your nose for a slow count of four (imagine the air filling your stomach, not lungs, and feel it expand)
2. Hold for a slow count of four
3. Breathe out through your mouth for a slow count of four (imagine your stomach pushing the air out)
4. Hold for a slow count of four
5. Repeat 3 or 4 times, no more
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