Stress Relief ASAP: Deep Belly Breathing

Stop what you’re doing and BREATHE. I want to introduce you to a breathing technique that can help reduce stress and anxiety on the spot. It’s my all-time-fave: deep belly breathing.

This is the practice of sitting or lying comfortably and actually releasing all muscle tension in the lower belly. (As a woman, it’s shocking how hard I have my lower belly pulled in all the time— I’m sure I’m not alone in this!) Place your right hand on your heart and your left hand just below your belly button. From this relaxed state, breathe deeply into your lower belly—visualize the breath visiting that space below your belly button and feel it expand with your hand on top. If your lower belly is moving in and out, that means you’re doing it correctly and you’re breathing from your diaphragm. Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth as you engage the diaphragm. Repeat until you feel fully relaxed. 

Aside from feeling euphoric, diaphragmatic breathing helps lower cortisol, blood pressure, and heart rate. What’s that code for? Instant stress-relief.