How to Use Breathwork to Recalibrate the Nervous System

Breathwork is a powerful tool to pull out for a multitude of reasons. It can help you find your patience in times of irritation, allowing you to respond rather than react to a situation. It can help you get through some of the most painful and transformative moments in your life. Used regularly, it can help you to learn how to regulate your nervous system, calming anxiety and getting your stress levels under control.

There are a multitude of difference breathwork practices. There are both well established practices and those that are constantly being invented by individuals exploring what their own bodies are capable of. It doesn’t have to be complicated though. If you like the structured direction available under the guidance of popular methods, here are some simple options:

• Box Breathing: Inhale for a count of four, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold again for four. Repeat this cycle for several minutes.
• 4–7–8 Breathing: Inhale for four counts, hold for seven counts, and exhale completely for eight counts. This technique can promote feelings of deep relaxation.
• Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana): Close one nostril and inhale through the other, then switch sides and exhale through the previously closed nostril. This practice can help balance the nervous…