This is the 8th in a series of posts exploring various breathing techniques. All of them have been momentary aids to relieve stress & tension, to re-energize, re-focus and/or just feel good.
The 8th technique to explore is called triangular breathing.
Imagine tracing an equalateral triangle in the air with your finger:
- From the bottom left corner, draw a line diagonally to the top of the triangle.
- From the top, draw a line diagonally down to the bottom right corner of the triangle.
- From the bottom right corner, draw a line horizontally across to where you started at the bottom left corner of the triangle.
Now, each one of those ‘sides’ is an:
(1) inhalation; (2) exhalation; and (3) un-holding of the breath.
Here we go:
- Breathe in as you draw from bottom left to top.
- Breathe out as you draw from top to bottom right.
- Un-hold your breath as you draw from bottom right to left.
Repeat this for 1 minute.
Most people ordinarily teach this in the reverse. That is, they encourage you to hold your breath after the inhalation as the 3rd side (as opposed to un-holding after the exhalation).
Imagine an upside down triangle, with the flat base at the top.
I strongly recommend you focus on the un-holding of your breath.
This will awaken the sub-conscious systems in your body.
The length of each ‘side’ doesn’t matter, as long as they’re the same.
Start with 3 seconds.
As you practice more, you can sustain each ‘side’ for longer.
Don’t underestimate how effective this is at reducing (or eliminating) anxiety at a deep level.
