So you may have heard about the wondrous benefits of breathing techniques, like increased lung capacity, improved blood pressure, and higher energy levels.

And you've probably also heard about the benefits of meditation, like a calm, centered mind, deep relaxation, and reduced stress.

But what do breathing techniques and meditation have to do with each other? 

Read on to find out about the link between breath and meditation, and how you make use of both to live your best life!

What are breathing techniques and breathing exercises?

These two terms are synonymous and are interchangeable. Breathing techniques or exercises are defined as particular methods of controlling your breath (mindful breathing) to produce a desired physical, mental, or emotional effect.

Breathing exercises are wonderful for disengaging your sympathetic nervous system (responsible for the fight or flight response) and engaging your parasympathetic nervous system to produce relaxation. 

More benefits of breathing exercises include:

• Increased lung capacity
• Decreased symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Improved blood pressure
• Better circulation
• Enhanced memory and mental clarity
• More restful sleep
• Reduced stress and anxiety
• Higher energy levels

The list could go on and on. 

So are you ready to experience some of these benefits for yourself?! Try these easy breathing exercises to get started.

A few easy breathing exercises

Alternate nostril breathing

Alternate nostril breathing is a breathing exercise where you slowly breathe through one nostril at a time. You begin by inhaling through your left nostril, then you slowly exhale through your right nostril.

Check out the video below to learn how to practice properly!

Deep breathing

If you've ever been overwhelmed by stress before, someone probably told you to take a deep breath. It's good advice. A few deep breaths can do wonders for stress relief. Try this easy breathing pattern for yourself and watch your stress melt away.

To perform deep breathing:

• Sit upright in a comfortable position and consciously relax your whole body.
• Take a relaxing breath in for a count of four, filling up your lungs fully.
• Exhale slowly for a count of four to six, emptying the lungs completely.

Belly breathing

Also called diaphragmatic breathing, this is one of the most well known deep breathing exercises. This technique is great for helping with shortness of breath from COPD, asthma, and other lung conditions.

To perform this technique:

• Sit or lie down on a comfortable, flat surface, and relax your body. If there is any strain in your back, keep your knees slightly bent. This exercise can also be performed in a standing position.
• Relax your shoulders, head, and neck by gently rolling them a couple of times.
• Put one hand on your chest and the other hand on your belly.
• Take a long, full, easy breath in through your nose, and fill your lungs up completely.
• As the lungs get fully filled, the diaphragm moves down, expanding your abdomen and sides of the waist. Your chest remains relatively still, while the hand on your belly gently rises.
• Exhale all the air slowly through your nose or pursed lips (as explained above) for a count of four or six. Feel the abdomen gently getting pulled towards your spine. The hand that is resting on your belly will gently come back to its original position.
• Repeat these steps ten to fifteen times, observing your belly rising and falling with every breath. 
• Breathe deeply, feeling relaxed and peaceful.

Now that you know a little something about deep breathing techniques, let's discuss meditation.

What is meditation?

Regular meditation practice has been shown by hundreds of studies to offer a long list of benefits including:

• Reducing stress and anxiety
• Improving deep sleep
• Promoting emotional health
• Increasing mental clarity and focus
• Alleviating depression
• Strengthening immune function

The link between breath and meditation

Ok, so breathing exercises are amazing, and meditation is phenomenal, but what is the link between them?

For thousands of years, yogis have practiced breathing exercises, also known as pranayama, to prepare the mind for meditation.

This is because beginning a meditation practice is difficult when your mind is full of worry and stress. You may sit and try to relax, but it just doesn't happen. In fact, you feel your mind is racing more than ever.

This is completely normal. And this is where breathing exercises come in.

Just a few minutes of any of the breathing exercises described above will do wonders to settle your mind down before meditation so you can slip into deep relaxation with ease.

Give it a try, and see for yourself!

The best meditation breathing technique

So now you know about the link between breath and meditation, and how helpful breathing techniques can be. 

And in my experience there is one technique that stands above them all.

When I started practicing SKY Breath Meditation, the benefits started immediately. Right after my first session, I dropped into the deepest meditation I had ever experienced, and afterwards I remember feeling like all the accumulated stress of my entire life had evaporated into thin air.

SKY has been shown by more than 100 independent peer-reviewed studies to offer an incredible bounty of benefits to physical, mental, and emotional health.

If you want to experience some of these benefits for yourself, just click the image below for a FREE live intro with an expert instructor. You’ll learn a powerful breathing technique, and experience a simple guided meditation!

See for yourself how easy it is to harness the power of breath!