Written by: Tara Leis, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Anyone who has researched the relationship between mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and productivity will soon realize that it is highly beneficial in business. Indeed, MBSR and its associated breathwork are known to promote stress reduction with fewer stress hormones in the brain noted among people who regularly practice its techniques. Not only does feeling less stressed out in the workplace boost productivity with fewer days of absenteeism among workers being just one example but it also tends to lead to more focused decision-making. In short, business leaders can make better calls about what to do in commercial situations if they are more relaxed in body and mind.
As such, breathing exercises shouldn't be viewed as something that will only help you to feel more relaxed when you are on a break from work or on holiday. They can be built into the pattern of the working week and, what's more, they'll frequently start to yield some great results quite soon after you begin doing them regularly. Before we start to look more closely at the sort of breathing techniques you can learn, it will be worth examining why breathing properly is important in the first place. Why Are Breathing Exercises Important in Business? In business, breathing exercises will help you to reduce stress, anxiety, and blood pressure, all good things if you work in a demanding environment. Even better, breathing out more fully will allow many more airborne toxins to escape so they won't remain in your body. Furthermore, breathing exercises can boost your metabolism and lead to a healthier immune system. In terms of the mind, they can help with attaining inner peace, gaining more focus, and even driving up creativity. How to Breathe Properly to Relax Many people only breathe from the belly – or, more precisely, the diaphragm – when they're asleep. Learning breathing techniques trains the body to do this more often when we're awake, too. The lungs can take up to six liters of air when they're used in full but most people at work only use a fraction of this volume. By thinking more consciously about each breath, so the mind becomes habituated to breathing more deeply and in a more relaxed way that is good for the body. The Downsides of Bad Breathing The more you practice breathing exercises, the more you will breathe better in everyday activities. This means that many of the negatives associated with poor breathing will be mitigated. For example, poor breathing is often associated with too little blood oxygen, something that can lead to cramps and feeling cold in the extremities of the body. There again, bad breathing is known to play a part in numerous concentration disorders, too. This is largely thought to be because people who breathe badly tend to feel more tension and fatigue when they're awake. Because the body is less oxygenated than it should be, blood pressure can increase which has a raft of negative impacts on health, not least on the heart. The Phases of Breathing Exercises When embarking on breathing exercises for the first time, it is important to focus your mind so that your body will follow. Firstly, when breathing in, do so slowly, fully, and through the nose. Take a deep lungful of air in a deliberate manner without snatching for breath. Once you have inhaled fully, the next phase begins in which you will hold your breath. Allow your lungs to stay expanded with your ribcage open. When it feels right to do so, allow your body to relax and let the breath flow out through your mouth. Again, you should focus your mind on this third stage so that the exhalation of air isn't rushed. When you have fully emptied your lungs, the fourth phase will begin. At this point, you hold your breath for as long as it feels comfortable before returning to phase one.
The Exercises
Deep belly breathing: Sometimes life gets in the way of breathing properly. Therefore, it makes sense to practice natural abdominal breathing before anything else.
How it works:
Place your hand on your belly
Inhale deeply through the nose
Through the hand, feel the abdomen fill with air and expand, raising the abdominal wall
Slowly and calmly exhale through the mouth
In the same way, feel through the hand how the abdominal wall lowers again and the abdomen contracts
Repeat for a couple of minutes
4-6-8 The 4-6-8 method is an extension of deep abdominal breathing. With the 4-6-8 method, you cannot only relax and breathe away stress but it is also recommended if you have problems falling asleep because it is very calming.
How it works:
Lie down and place one hand on the abdomen again
Inhale through the nose and mentally count to four
Holding the breath and counting slowly to six
Exhale through the mouth while counting slowly to eight
Pump up your lungs: Anyone who is permanently under tension, angry or restless automatically shows signs of flat breathing and prevents the lungs from developing their full air potential. You can breathe away this tension using this technique.
How it works:
Take a deep breath and mentally count to two
Hold your breath and count to two again
Inhale again and count to two
Hold your breath again and count to two again
Repeat until you can breathe no more
Breathe out all the air in one long, calm breath
Breathe normally and calmly for several breaths
Diaphragm training: Flat breathing gradually weakens our "breathing muscle", the diaphragm, which can lead to shortness of breath. This exercise strengthens the diaphragm by placing the lips on top of each other when exhaling, and only a narrow opening between the lips is used to allow the air to escape.
How it works:
Sit or lie on the floor
Bend the legs hip-width apart
Place one hand on your chest, the other on your abdomen
Inhale deeply while counting to two, tighten abdominal muscles and inhale slowly
On the exhale, use the lip brake while mentally counting to four.
While doing so, consciously feel how the abdomen relaxes, the chest should barely move
Breathing away your stress: Anxiety triggers stress in humans and thus shallow breathing. The right breathing technique can help against anxiety.
How it works:
Lie down on the floor to relieve stress.
Angle your legs and place your feet flat on the floor.
Place your arms loosely beside your body.
Tilt your pelvis toward your belly button, press your spine toward the floor, and try to exhale completely.
Stay in this position for a few seconds and hold your breath.
Then, tilt your pelvis back so that your lower back rises. Inhale as you do this.
Repeat this process for a few minutes. To relax, even more, stay lying down for a moment in the end.
More concentration due to alternate breathing: This breathing technique promotes concentration, relaxes, and causes a balance between the two halves of the brain.
How it works:
Take your right hand and spread your thumb and index finger.
Close the left nostril with your index finger so that you can breathe in through the right nostril and count to four
After this breath, close the right nostril with your thumb and count to two
Release your index finger, breathe out through the left nostril and count to four
On the second round, inhale through the free left nostril, then close both nostrils and let the air out through the right nostril.
You should repeat this process for two to three minutes.
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Tara Leis, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
As someone who left behind a successful international corporate career to build her own business, Tara knows the value of chasing your dreams. But she felt she could achieve even more, setting her sights on becoming a mother, without compromising her career goals. As the founder of Mindcapital, Tara has a business that will allow her to do just that and she made it her mission to empower other women in similar fashion. With her unique insight and range of skills, she aims to inspire women to realize her inner talent and start their own online businesses. Being an accredited coach and meditation teacher, Tara's professional approach can shift mindsets and help others develop their own focused mission plan.
