Stress less series

Week 2: where woo-woo meets science, breathwork

This week’s practical practice is a well-known type of breath: 4 parts breath (in yogic tradition: sama vritti pranayama) or square breath. The Navy Seals made this breath practice famous, as it is part of their training (https://time.com/4316151/breathing-technique-navy-seal-calm-focused/).

I often use this breath when I feel stress rising (before an interview, before takeoff, or during turbulence, to name a few).

The breath is broken down into 4 phases: inhalation, hold, exhalation, hold. The length of each part is equal, but you can pick and choose the number of seconds spent (in the video practice, I used 4 seconds). Please don’t hold your breath if you are pregnant or have any blood pressure disturbances, but modify the practice so there are no holds at all.

I hope you will practice this type of breath during your well-being break this week. Let me know in the comments below!