What is Breathing Meditation and How to Do it?

Research on meditations continues to show the immense benefits that it can provide; there’s an increasing amount of people who have turned to meditation to calm their minds and reap the benefits that it provides. The reality is that most people give up on the practice before giving it enough time to work.

There are many reasons why beginners end up giving up on the practice, but the number one complaint is that it is simply too hard for people to get into.
But as the saying goes, “nothing that is worthwhile is ever easy.” To achieve a deep meditative state takes a lot of practice, patience, and consistency. There is, however, a way to speed up the process. The secret to mastering meditation is to use breathing exercises as a way to get deeper into meditation.

Here are some breathing exercises to get deeper into meditation.

Bellow breathing:

Also referred to as “bhastrika” in Sanskrit, this breathing technique involves a couple of quick and forceful inhales followed by exhales. It increases oxygen in the body and provides energy to the mind, making it perfect for newcomers to meditation to practice.
Since it can leave you feeling energized, it should be avoided before bed and preferably done as soon as you wake up.
To do it, sit up tall, try relaxing your shoulder, and inhale a few deep breaths through your nose. Try to fill your belly up as much as you can when performing the inhales.
Then make a fist and fold both of your arms, placing them parallel to your shoulders.
Inhale deeply, raise your hands up and open your fists. After which, you exhale with force, bring your arms back down next to your shoulders and clench your fists. Continue doing so for around 20 breaths, then rest your palms on your thighs. Followed by a few normal breaths. Do so for at least two more rounds.

Diaphragmatic breathing:

This breathing exercise refers to belly breathing. Doing this exercise will slow your sympathetic nervous system, decrease your heart rate, and reduce your blood pressure while simultaneously decreasing your anxiety and stress. It quiets the mind and makes for a perfect environment to practice deep meditation.
Start by sitting up or lying down on your back. Then follow by placing one hand on your belly and rest the other one on your chest.
Take a deep inhale through your nostrils and count to 4, filling up your whole belly as much as possible. While doing so, you should feel one of your hands rise on your stomach while the other sits comfortably on your chest without moving.
After inhaling, take a few seconds pause at the very top of the inhale and then release the air from your belly on the count of 4, trying to feel the hand that is on your stomach lowering back to its original position. Your other hand that’s on your chest should stay in place.
Practice this breathing exercise for a total of 4–5 minutes, remembering to take long, deep breaths into your abdomen.

Continue these breathing meditation exercises consistently to reap the full benefits.