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There are many breathing exercises.
The best ones either energize or slow down/calm the breathing or both. What is optimal also increases breathing volume and therefore one's longevity. The following breathing exercise will begin to do ALL three; slowing, energizing and expanding. 

Only one breathing exercise that I know of works for absolutely everyone You are about to learn it. If it does not help calm and energize then that is usually a sign of severely unbalanced breathing.

Anxiety can be caused by poor breathing speed and sequencing.

This one is particularly good for Reducing Anxiety and lifting Depression  

Extreme forms of emotion are often immobilizing, limiting and dangerous to one's health and well being. Some are deadly. Anxiety can harm and even kill. So can depression.

The way we breathe either lessens or worsens the emotional/fear response. 

Try the following breathing exercise.

I call this: 

The Squeeze and Breathe© 2004 All rights reserved.

Firstly see the below lungs that have been cut away to show the heart. Notice how they are smaller at the top.

This means that it is mostly pointless to breathe into the high chest because there is by comparison to the lower lobes very little lung volume there. 

The mid chest and lower rear lobes are where the major volume is. The back of the trunk from mid back to waist is where the lower lobes most often allow for the most expansion.  But tensions in the low back restrict expansion so we must both access and challenge the area in the following way.
 
For breathing that is quieting, calming,  centering and energizing all at once.

Standing and knees slightly bent is preferable with tail bone tilted gently forward. 
Or 
Supported by a small round pillow as above or a NADA Chair, Sit out near the edge of a fairly hard surfaced chair, stool or arm of a couch with feet flat on the floor, or stand. Both of these positions need an erect but not stiff posture. Be "tallest" with your chin slightly above the horizon and slightly tucked in. If you stand, bend your knees slightly so as to unlock them.

Let your tongue lightly touch the roof or your mouth and your jaw relax. Relax your belly.  Let it hang down. Let go of any fear of  having a "pot belly" or not having "washboard abs". . 

Place your thumbs over your kidneys (below your back ribs and above your pelvis). Wrap your fingers around your sides towards your belly button as if you were getting a front to back firm grip on any love handles or more of your front back and sides if you have no love handles. Get a good grip by squeezing your fingers and thumbs together gently but firmly, then nose breathe a long slow deep 3 count in-breath, breathing into your squeezed fingers forcing them apart with your in-breath, against the tension that the squeezed fingers are constantly making.

In other words, using the force of your breathing-in to widen your fingers and thumbs against their attempt to stay tensely closed. 

Then relax your grip and slow down the exhale so it lasts 7 counts. NEVER tighten the belly to extend the exhale. Simply slow the sped of the out-breath. ALWAYS keep the belly relaxed.

Try it again  3 count inhale and 7 count exhale.

1. How did that feel? Relaxing. Energizing? Anxious?

Dizziness, spaceyness, or confusion or anxiety means you should stop and recommence in a minute or two after the energy has subsided or integrated within you.

A little anxiety (or a lot)?  
If you felt anxious it was probably too fast for you or you did not squeeze in the right place or strongly enough and then breathe into the squeezed thumb and fingers to separate them against their will. 

Try it again with the same placement of your thumbs over your kidneys  Wrap your fingers around towards your naval. This time following the below breathing pattern.

Squeeze firmly as you nose breathe long slow deep breaths into your squeezed fingers forcing them apart with your in-breath in your belly back and sides against their will. Try to match the breathing cycle of the animated logo for a timing reference

Feel better?  Calmer?  Energized? Calm and energized at the same time? Anxious? If anxious try to lengthen the exhale count while keeping the inhale count the same or smaller. Example: a 3 count inhale and 10 count exhale or 3 count inhale and 12 count exhale. A 20 count exhale should be eventually attainable but for some it might take weeks or months to develop.  Remember to NEVER tighten the belly to make the exhale last longer.

Just let the air out slower. You should eventually feel a calming and energizing throughout your entire body.

If that is not the right feel or timing then experiment with the same inhales but longer or shorter exhales until you discover a comfortable one that you can repeat for ten minutes. 

The above is very powerful but still a temporary approach. If it helped you stay calm or energized even just a little bit I urge you to take it to the next level. Our program has this exercise and 5 others that will make this feeling stay all day and night while your breathing gets better and better. You will feel more rested, look better, have more fun and get more done. I guarantee it. Recommended program

Testimonial
Adrenal exhaustion, anxiety

• I am a 58 years young woman, High School teacher, and have spent much of my life off and on going through periods of adrenal exhaustion (of which I really had no name for up until a few years ago) and wondering why I couldn't catch my breath, actually have to crawl up stairs sometimes, waking up at night breathless etc. This all would come to pass when I was going through some kind of loss or what I perceived as a loss, or just any old time especially during times of a great deal of change. Interestingly enough when I was not going through those times, I have amazing energy, accomplish a great deal and rarely get tired. It became clear to me about 15 years ago that losing my mother at 3 years of age and not being told until I was 5 where she went, and simply living in hell with my father in one of those abusive long term dis-functional stories (tragic but boring) put me in so much fear that I learned to hold my breath and do all of the stuff that goes along with the flight or fight syndrome. 

 Long story short approximately 10 years ago described these symptoms to my doctor, adrenal surges, not being about to catch my breath, waking up at night  many times gasping for air and feeling like I am suffocating was put on Zoloft or  Paxil off and on for about 10 years. I would tell the doctors, that I didn't feel depressed and really had no idea why these physical symptoms would happen   to me and be so debilitating, but they just treat symptoms with meds. People  would tell me, well just take a deep breath. OK I'll do that I would say but I could n  not seem to get a handle on being able to get a real breath when I'm suffering  t h is panic and anxiety.

One fine day last October it finally dawned on me, I do not know really HOW to breathe! With all of the Yoga, meditation, bodywork, no one has been able to really teach me "HOW TO BREATHE". So I got on the WWW and said help!!! Punched in "breathing" and Wa La came "breathing.com" and Michael. Got Michael's tapes in his Breathing Kit

Breathing Exercise Tape #1 was such a shock for me, what I mean is I had no idea there was a reflex action at the bottom of the exhale breath that actually "breathed your body". The shallow breathing that I was in the habit of doing had never allowed the development of that reflex action. So naturally I'm waking up at night breath holding, panic stricken and clueless why this is happening. My body has been oxygen starved and getting worse as I get older. EVEN THOUGH ALL OF THE CHILDHOOD ISSUES ARE WORKED OUT, GONE, DONE WITH, the old breathing habits had remained, I was not aware of something better.

Breathing Exercise #2 was even more fantastic! The exercise uses what you have learned in video tape #176 and gives you the tremendous tools and power over the physical disablement of  being oxygen starved and emotionally stressed.

Very soon after starting the tapes, I visited Michael for 6 days in North Carolina to get private instruction. I can only tell you all that it was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. I am now of course still practicing proper breathing (50 years of bad habits), off meds, and have not awaked at night even once since starting the tapes and getting private instruction from Michael.

Again Michael, thank you a million times over for actually dedicating your life to helping people understand the importance of the breath and actually in detail showing how to really practice it.    Phyllis Ross  Recommended program

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