Create the Five Deep Breaths Habit to Help You Relax

KEY POINTS:

• Breathing for Well-being
• Five Deep Breaths Exercise
• Making a Commitment 

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“Take a deep breath” is commonly taken as a figure of speech, but many people don’t understand what deep breathing can actually do for us physically and mentally.

Throughout history, many teachers have believed that deliberate breathing exercises can be extremely valuable in enhancing our well-being. Numerous studies have now given us solid evidence of the positive effects that breathing exercises can have on the nervous system.

One such study by Richard P. Brown and Patricia L. Gerbarg, published in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, showed that breathing exercises could rapidly bring us to the present moment and reduce stress.

In addition, this research shows that breathing exercises can improve your heart rate and help treat depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Utilizing breathing techniques and drawing on work by martial arts expert Thomas Crum, I use the following exercise multiple times every day, the first being right after my meditation routine, called “Three Deep Breaths.”

I have extended Crum’s three breaths to five breaths. Keep in mind that this is a flexible exercise, and you should create one that works for you.

The following are detailed directions for this exercise:

First breath
Take a deep breath and breathe out.

Second breath
Inhale again and as you exhale, express your gratitude. For example:

• I am grateful for my health
• I am grateful for my children
• I am grateful for my wife.

Third breath
Take another breath in and exhale. Focus on one thing that you want to be today. For example:

• Today I will be calm.
• Today I will be patient.
• Today I will let go of judgment.

Fourth breath
Inhale again, and as you exhale, say aloud a thought that represents your ideal self. Who are you, and who do you want to be? For example:

• I am a loving, generous individual who always strives to do the right thing.
• I am a kind human being who wants to help others.
• I am a mindful individual, and I live in the moment as much as possible.

Fifth breath
Take a deep breath in and out to finish.

How does it feel? Consider committing to do this at least once a day.

Braco Pobric is an Internationally Recognized Positive Psychology Expert, Executive Coach, and Corporate Trainer. He is the bestselling author of Habits and Happiness: How to Become Happier and Improve Your Wellbeing by Changing Your Habits. Braco is a founding member and Chief Happiness Officer of the Life Success Academy, Certified Positive Psychology Master Coach and Trainer, and former globally Certified Trainer and Business Coach for Dale Carnegie Training. His unique approach to integrated learning in Positive Psychology Coaching (PPMC) program let him train over 60,000 Students in 172 countries.