- The purpose of mindful breathing is to anchor yourself in the present moment, so that you can let go of worrying about the past or the future.
- Mindful breathing has been shown to reduces anxiety, help with burnout, provide certain types of pain relief, and decrease negative thinking.
- See below for a step-by-step guide to practicing mindful breathing.
- This article was medically reviewed by Zlatin Ivanov, MD, a psychiatrist at Psychiatrist NYC.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Mindful breathing isn't just an activity for monks. Anybody can practice breathing mindfully. Here's what you need to know about what mindful breathing is, how to do it, and the
The purpose of mindful breathing
Breathing is something the body does automatically. We rarely stop to think about it, but we should.
"Mindfulness of the breath helps us have an anchor for the present moment, because our minds are usually running off, worrying about the future, or regretting something that we did in the past," says Judson Brewer MD, PhD, Director of Research and Innovation, at the Brown University Mindfulness Center. When we have this "anchor" we are better able to handle whatever life throws our way.
A guide to mindful breathing
- Get comfortable: Get in a comfortable position, seated or lying down. You want to be in a position where you can relax, and where your breathing won't feel constricted.
- Use a guided recording or do it yourself: You can play a guided
meditation , set a timer for your desired amount of time, or meditate without a guide or timer. - Start to notice your breath: Start by breathing in and out and taking note of how each inhale feels. Is it short or long? Deep or shallow? Then, what about the pause at the top of the breath before the exhale? How about the exhale, and the pause before the next inhale?
- Notice your body: You can also focus on the physical sensations associated with breathing. Ask yourself: Where do you feel your breath the most? What does it feel like as you breathe in through your nostrils? Do you feel the inhales more in your chest or deep down in your belly?
- Reserve judgment: It's very natural for your mind to wander off while you are practicing mindful breathing – and that's okay. All you have to do is acknowledge the fact that your mind has wandered, don't judge it, and then come back to the breath and the sensations associated with it.
- Assess: Once your time's up, notice how you feel. Does your body feel different? Are you more relaxed? Just as you did during the breathing exercise, try to notice but not judge. There is no right or wrong.
If you struggle with staying present and focused on the breath, you're not alone. Brewer himself says he struggled for years to master getting comfortable with mindful breathing. Brewer says that if you stay curious and aware of the breath instead of trying to breathe perfectly each time, it may help with focus. In other words, you don't need to create more stress by worrying about breathing right or wrong.
The benefits of mindful breathing
Mindful breathing has many scientifically-proven benefits. Here are a few.
- Reduces anxiety: Mindfulness activates the parasympathetic nervous system, aka your body's "rest and digest" system. When the parasympathetic nervous system is activated, your heart rate and blood pressure will lower, which can help reduce anxiety in the process.
- Helps with burnout: In this day and age, burnout is something we know all too well, and it's common for adults to feel burnt out from their jobs. A study published this year in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that mindful breathing reduced burnout, cynicism, emotional exhaustion, and anxiety.
- Provides pain relief: A 2016 study published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences concluded that mindfulness meditation can be effective in reducing the level of pain intensity, and should be further researched as an alternative to opioids in people with chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia, migraines, and lower back pain.
- Decreases negative thinking: Practicing mindful breathing can decrease negative repetitive thoughts common in people with depression, making way for a better mood, according to a study published in Behaviour Research and Therapy in 2010.
Mindful breathing resources
You can practice mindful breathing by yourself, but if you feel like you need some extra help, you can listen to guided meditations and mindful breathing exercises. There are plenty of guided videos on YouTube, or you can try out an app like Headspace, Calm, Insight Timer, or Unwinding Anxiety, which Brewer developed.
Related stories about mental health:
- How to deal with anxiety and loneliness during the coronavirus outbreak
- What are the stages of grief? How to process and deal with grief or loss
- How to stop a panic attack: 3 ways to deal with sudden anxiety
- How to lower your heart rate from anxiety, or a panic attack
- How to get better sleep with anxiety or stress, in 5 different ways
- Can stress make you sick? Yes, mental health affects physical health
- How to deal with life's uncertainty and the stress it causes