10 Simple Breathing Exercises to Calm Your Mind and Ease Stress

You know the feeling. The shoulders creep up, the jaw tightens and suddenly the smallest thing sets you off. Your breath is doing the same thing, getting quicker and shallower, which only tells your body to stay on high alert.

The good news is that you can talk your nervous system down using nothing but your lungs. Breathing exercises are free, quiet and available any time you remember to use them. Here are ten to try, from the two-minute reset to the longer wind-down.

Box breathing

Box breathing is the one you will actually use before a meeting, because it works in seconds. Breathe in for four counts, hold for four, out for four, hold for four. That is the whole box.

It slows your heart rate and gives your brain a simple pattern to follow instead of the worry loop. Try it for a few minutes whenever you need to press pause.

4-7-8 breathing

This one is famous for good reason. Breathe in quietly through your nose for four seconds, hold for seven, then breathe out slowly through your mouth for eight.

The long exhale is what does the work. It switches on the relaxation response, which is handy before bed or after a long day. Sit or lie down comfortably and give it a few rounds.

Diaphragmatic breathing

Most of us breathe into our chests when we are stressed. Diaphragmatic breathing, also called belly breathing, retrains you to use the full lungs.

Lie down or sit comfortably. Put one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Breathe in through your nose and let your belly push your hand up while your chest stays fairly still, then breathe out slowly and feel the belly lower.

A few minutes of this during your lunch break can undo a whole tense morning.

Alternate nostril breathing

If your head feels scattered, alternate nostril breathing is a good reset. It comes from yoga and involves breathing through one nostril at a time.

Sit comfortably. Use your thumb to close your right nostril and breathe in through the left. Close the left nostril with your ring finger, release the thumb and breathe out through the right. Breathe in through the right, close it, and breathe out through the left. That is one round.

It gives a scattered mind something to focus on, which is often all it needs to settle.

Progressive muscle relaxation with breath

This is not strictly a breathing exercise, but it pairs so well with breath that it belongs on the list. You tense a muscle group as you breathe in, then release it as you breathe out.

Start at your feet and work up: calves, thighs, stomach, hands, arms, shoulders and face. Tense each for about five seconds, then let it go on the exhale.

By the time you reach your jaw you will feel noticeably looser. It is a wonderful before-bed option.

Belly breathing for a quick reset

Belly breathing is a close cousin of the diaphragmatic version, but it is simpler to do anywhere. Sit up straight, put a hand on your belly and take a slow breath in so your belly rises, then let it fall as you breathe out.

The slow, deep rhythm lowers stress hormones and calms the nervous system. If you feel anxiety creeping in during the day, this is the one to reach for.

Lion’s breath

This one feels a little silly, and that is part of the point. Sit up tall, breathe in through your nose, then open your mouth wide, stick out your tongue and exhale with a ha sound like a very polite lion.

It releases tension in the face and jaw, which is where a surprising amount of daily stress collects. It is also hard to stay wound up when you are making lion faces, so it works for your mood as well as your muscles.

Ocean breath

Ocean breath, or Ujjayi breathing, is the soft whooshing sound you hear in a yoga class. You make it by gently narrowing the back of your throat as you breathe, as if you were trying to fog up a mirror with your mouth closed.

Breathe in and out through your nose, keeping that soft constriction, and you will hear a sound like waves. The rhythm is soothing, and it gives a busy mind a steady anchor. It is lovely before meditation or savasana.

3-5-7 breathing

This is the one for a quick stress fix when you only have a minute. Breathe in through your nose for three seconds, hold for five, and breathe out slowly through your mouth for seven.

The short inhale and longer exhale calm the nervous system faster than you would expect. A few rounds will lower your heart rate and take the edge off a panicky moment.

Mindful breathing

Mindful breathing is the simplest exercise on this list and possibly the hardest to do well. You just sit somewhere quiet, close your eyes and pay attention to the feeling of your breath moving in and out.

Your mind will wander. That is not a mistake. Every time you notice it drifting, gently bring it back to the breath. That noticing and returning is the exercise.

Five to ten minutes in the morning sets a calmer tone for the whole day.

Give yourself a few slow minutes

You do not need to learn all ten at once. Pick two, the one that suits a busy day and the one that suits bedtime, and practise them until they feel natural. Then add more when you want them.

What matters is having the tools before you need them, because the middle of a stressful moment is a terrible time to be reading instructions. Find the breathing exercise that feels like yours, keep it close, and let your breath do the quiet work it was always meant to do.