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In the midst of all obligations, responsibilities, and interactions that take place during the day, it can be easily overlooked to take a step back.  There is a reason for the phrase "taking a breaker" -- as simple as it sounds, breathing exercises are small, low-effort, easy-to-achieve, and capable of yielding great results.

When you are stressed of anxious, your heart is racing and your mind is full of noise.  Whether you notice it or not, your breathing is most likely short and shallow as well.  If it becomes an extreme case, hyperventilating may occur and shortness of breath settles in.  In this article, we discuss different breathing exercises for different aspects of your day and how you can incorporate it into your life.

If you've never practiced meditation or tried utilizing breathing exercises, we suggest starting off with this technique.  Inhale as deep as you feel comfortable and breathe out slowly.  For this exercise, there is no need to worry about keeping count.  The goal is to be comfortable in your own breath.

A different take on a breathing exercise which is also great for beginners is to set aside time to focus solely on your normal breathing.  To maximize the benefits of this exercise, the key is to block out all other distractions and even close your eyes.  Find a spot where there is minimal noise and people and set a timer for two minutes; paying close attention to your breath only.  If it helps, you can even think "inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale" until the timer goes off.

When you first do this, it may feel very long or as if time is passing very slowly.  This is normal!  just remember that the timer will go off in two minutes and ideally, you will have achieved a state of relaxation.  No matter how busy you are, you can afford to take two minutes out of your day.  Close your eyes and breathe normally.  Don't think about anything during this time, just the sound of your own breath and maybe the beating of your heart.

This is the basis of meditation - the ability to clear your mind for blocks of time in order to allow your brain some rest.  If you do this enough, you will develop the ability to calm yourself down and reduce your overall stress and anxiety levels.  Once you are comfortable with two minutes, you are welcome to try five minutes and increase the time as you progress along.

For this breathing exercise, pacing is going to be the focus.  There is a little bit of a technique involved, but it will get easier once you get the hang of it.  Inhale through the nose for two seconds, then slowly exhale through your mouth for double the amount of time - four seconds.  Once you have done this a number of times, increase the interval until you are exhaling for longer periods of time.

When you are exhaling, your are calming your heart rate.  Sharp intakes of breath leads to shallow breathing.  The goal here is to focus on controlling your breathing, and specifically breathing in through your nose so you can better conserve the air.  When you get really comfortable, try to see the highest interval you can get to.  Is it eight seconds of exhaling? Ten seconds?  More?

Do this for a minimum of five times.  If you have the discipline and focus, try increasing the interval every 5th breath.  For example, if you are inhaling for two seconds, and exhaling for four, do this five times before you inhale for three seconds and exhale for six.  Repeat this cycle until you are at your limit for how long you can exhale.

After you've grown accustomed to breathing exercises, you can try something a little more advanced.  For this technique, your are inhaling, holding your breath, then exhaling.  Start with standard deep breathing through your mouth.  Take a large gulp of air, hold it, and then release - no need to count just yet.

Do this until you are comfortable with holding your breath for a few seconds.  Repeat it and see how long you can hold your breath for while still exhaling comfortably.  In other words, you are not trying to hold your breath until you gasp for air.  You still want to have a deliberate exhale that you are in control of - otherwise you are defeating the purpose.

When you have mastered holding your breath in-between standard deep breathing, try doing it with counts.  Once again, inhaling through your nose, pausing this time, then exhaling for double the counts you inhaled for.  This may be tricky at first; and if it is, start slow and inhale through the nose, hold, and exhale for the same amount of time.  You can experiment with how long you hold your breath, but it most beneficial to shoot for two to three seconds.

For the last breathing exercise, you are going to complete a breathing "cycle" as you stretch.  Select any of the breathing exercises already described and while you are going through the exercise, pick an area to stretch.  If you are feeling tense, roll your shoulders back for the duration of your inhale-exhale cycle.  If your neck is tight, close your eyes, and roll your head in a slow circle as you breathe through it.

Try different combinations and allow the blood to flow through your body.  It doesn't need to complex stretches, just something to move the tight muscles around while you breathe.  The more you do this, the more you'll notice that tension will leave your body.  We hold a lot of stress internally and breathing will help us relax our mind while stretching helps relax our bodies.  It may not be as pampering as a full-body massage, but the concept is similar.

Stress, anxiety, and tension aren't always totally unavoidable.  Sometimes, life gets hectic and chaos finds us even when we're not looking.  In those moments, it is important to breathe and calm our minds instead of getting caught up in a bad feedback loop.  Having high stress leads to issues with blood pressure and overall health.  If you find that breathing exercises are hard to focus on, leverage the power of Full Spectrum CBD to enhance your experience.

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