This slow-breathing practice is among the simplest of all breathwork techniques. It involves approximately five-and-a-half full breaths per minute, with each inhale and exhale about five-and-a-half seconds long. This pace brings the heart, lungs, and nervous system into a state of calm coherence.
Journalist James Nestor, in Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, reports that the pacing of resonant breathing also matches the breath pattern of many prayers and chants associated with the world’s major religions. As such, he writes, this technique may offer the effects of yoga for people who don’t like yoga, and the healing touch of prayer for people who aren’t religious.
How to:
1. Sit up straight with a relaxed belly; exhale.
2. Inhale softly for five and a half seconds, expanding the belly as air fills the bottom of your lungs.
3. Without pausing, exhale for five and a half seconds to empty your belly and lungs. Each breath should feel like a circle.
4. Repeat at least 10 times, more if possible.
More About Breathwork
People have used breathwork to promote healing for centuries. Discover why it works at “What Is Breathwork?,” from which this article was excerpted.
