Meditation Teaching— Different Breathing Techniques for Meditation and Mindfulness

Having accredited mindfulness training will introduce you to different breathing techniques. Breathing meditation is the simplest and easiest way to practice meditation and mindfulness. It’s even the most recommended way to learn meditation for beginners.

You can try comparing how controlling your breath through different calming practices feels more amazing than when you do intensive aerobic activities.

In this article:

The Yoga Breathing Technique
Counting Four and Back
Breathing through your Abdomen
Equal Breathing Technique
The 4-7-8 Count
The Stimulating Breath
Mala Bead Breathing
Skull Shining Breath or Kapalabhati
Alternate Nostril Breathing

By learning different techniques for breathing from meditation training you can maximize the benefits of good oxygenation— you might be surprised there are many ways to breathe right!

The Yoga Breathing Technique

This breathing technique is most commonly used in yoga practices and meditation training. This technique aims to calm your breathing, so you can fully benefit from loads of fresh oxygen. To do this breathing technique, follow the following simple steps:

1. Take a slow, very deep inhale.
2. Take a pause.
3. Slowly let your breath out
4. Take a good pause before going on with your yoga pauses

Counting Four and Back

A commonly used breathing technique for meditation training is by simply counting to four, then counting backward. Every counting is timed with your breath. You can opt to use different numbers, depending on your want you want or how long you want to count. The following are the steps to follow as a template.

1. Inhale– count one
2. Exhale – count two
3. Inhale – count three
4. Exhale – count forth
5. Inhale – count three
6. Exhale – count two
7. Inhale – count one
8. Exhale – count two
9. Repeat

Breathing through your Abdomen

Abdominal breathing is one of the easiest and a commonly recommended techniques for meditation beginners. But this technique is not exclusive to meditation as it can also be used outside of meditation, to reduce stress and finding a sense of calm. It also only takes a couple of minutes to do, making it perfect for any type of situation where you need to recollect yourself. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Place one hand on your chest
2. Place the other hand on your stomach
3. Take a deep breath in through the nose
4. Feel your hand on your stomach move as you inflate your diaphragm with air
5. Slowly release your breath

Equal Breathing Technique

Equal breathing is a technique that you can learn from accredited mindfulness training that helps calm the body, mind, and soul. It’s excellent for decreasing stress, calming your nerves, and increasing focus. This technique can be done anywhere and at any time. The following are steps to do this breathing technique:

1. Take a slow breath in through your nose in four counts.
2. Slowly breathe out through your nostrils for a count of four

The 4-7-8 Count

The 4-7-8 count, also known as the relaxing breath technique, is not only used in meditation training but also as a grounding technique for panic and anxiety attacks. This exercise is best recommended for those suffering from anxiety and insomnia as it can rapidly calm the nervous system. Here’s how you do it:

1. Let the tip of your tongue rest at the top back of your teeth
2. Deeply exhale and let that breathing out be loud, with a big sigh or whooshing sound
3. Close your mouth and slowly breathe in through your nose, start counting up to four
4. Keep holding your breath as you count up to seven
5. Breathe out deeply and as you count up to eight, let out another loud exhale
6. Repeat

The Stimulating Breath

The Stimulating Breath is a traditional yoga breathing technique called Bhastrika. It is also called the Bellows Breath and it is excellent for expanding alertness and energy. It’s a bit complex on your first try but with some practice, you can perfect it to feel energized Here are the simple steps to do it:

1. Rapidly breathe in and breathe out through your nose. Make the intervals short and equal for both. For example, you can aim to get two inhales and exhales per second
2. Continue stimulating your breath for six seconds
3. As you continue doing it, slowly increase the time that you spend on the practice until you reach a full minute.

Mala Bead Breathing

If you’re not fond of counting or if you feel too overwhelmed, anxious, or preoccupied, to keep count, yoga practice has a solution for that—mala beads. These meditation training tools can be used to track your breath without any counting. You can simply move along the mala beads, to count each breath. Here is how you can use this technique:

1. Pick a mala bead that is particular to your intention (the reason for your breathing exercise)
2. Clutch the mala bead in your right hand
3. Hold it between your middle and index finger
4. By starting from the guru bead, tread your thumb along with each smaller bead.
5. While moving from one bead to the other breathing in for each
6. Do this 108 times, up until you’re back from the start (or guru bead)

Skull Shining Breath or Kapalabhati

This breathing technique is best used to shake off a negative vibe, and energy to warm up your spirit, mind, and body. It can be practiced in the morning, before a meeting, before your exam, or during meditation. Here’s are the steps:

1. Take a long inhale, slowly.
2. Let out a quick and massive exhale from your diaphragm
3. Repeat

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Another common breathing technique used during meditation and yoga is alternate nostril breathing – and yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Doing this technique allows you to reenergize your mind, body, and spirit. Here are the steps:

1. Plug your right nostril with your right thumb
2. Take a deep breath through the left nostril
3. Remove your thumb from your right nostril and plug your left nostril with your ring finger
4. Slowly exhale
5. Repeat

As with all the different types of meditation, we should acknowledge that not all kinds of meditation can work for you. The same principle applies to the use of different breathing techniques.

To quote or meditation training motto “Do what works for you.”

So have you tried any of these different breathing techniques? Let me know how it worked and which is the best type for you!