Simple Mindful Breathing For a Week

Benefits of Mindful Breathing 

For the past couple of years, I have read many articles, blog posts, and books about the physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits of mindful breathing. Although the ancient practice of sitting and breathing has been around for thousands of years, a popular new secularized version backed by various scientific studies has resulted in a growing trend in Western Culture. Could a few minutes a day make us less stressed, healthier, and happier? Here are some of the benefits that many people experience from mindful breathing: 

1. Happiness And Improved Mental State

Findings from various scientific studies suggest that controlling the breath and focusing on the breathe can alter how we feel. The impact can be significant, with up to a 40% variance in feelings of job, anger, stress, sadness, happiness, and other emotions.  Other studies have found that mindfulness increases positive emotions while reducing negative emotions and stress. The practice may even fight depression as well as antidepressant medication. 

2. Strong Immune System

One study found that just eight weeks of mindfulness training resulted in a boost to the immune system's ability to fight of sickness and disease. 

3. Improves Focus

Mindful breathing helps us ignore and tune out distractions while improving working memory and attention. 

4. Increased Compassion and Care 

Mindfulness has been shown to increase compassion and positive emotions towards others. In addition, research has suggested that mindful breathing can also boost self-compassion and help us love and appreciate ourselves more. 

5. Enjoy Life More

Mindfulness breathing can increase our ability to savor the experiences of life as they occur and help us feel fully engaged with activities and other people. 

6. Worry Less and Calm an Overactive Mind 

Mindful breathing helps an individual focus in the present moment, which in turn helps avoid worrying or mulling over past regrets or future problems. The mindful practitioner is better able to avoid mindless rumintation and constant worry. Mindful breathing can calm and overactive mind and bring peaceful thoughts and emotions to the present moment. 

7. Better Sleep 

Mindful breathing, especially near bedtime can calm an overactive mind and help an individual fall asleep quicker and have more restful sleep. 

8. Many Other Benefits 

There are many more benefits of mindfulness such as treating heart disease, lowering blood pressure, reducing chronic pain, alleviating depression, improving relationships, reducing anxiety, and much more. 

Clearly, the benefits of mindful practice are impressive, and I was interested in reaping some of these benefits in my own life. 

Sitting Still and Breathing Is Difficult

I have dabbled in mindful breathing, but I have never sustained a regular habit. I have a hard time sitting still and breathing. My body wants to be up and moving and my mind wants to solve problems, think of ideas, and ruminate. I wanted to challenge myself and test would happen if I practiced mindful breathing for a week.

I wanted to take a different approach, and to try mindful breathing in a way that I knew I could sustain. For me, that meant incorporating it with what I was already doing and not taking additional time out for sitting and breathing. 

My Breathing Plan: 5 Minutes + 1 Minute

I love my morning routine. I wake up, take a cold shower, exercise for 30 minutes, take another cold shower, and then get ready for work while interacting with my wife and two sons. Adding mindful breathing didn't fit in this morning schedule for me, so I wanted to try mindful breathing during my short commute to work. My hope was that this quick 5 minutes of mindful breathing would ground me and prepare my mind and body for my day.

In addition to this 5 minutes of mindful breathing in the morning, I would take mindful minute breaks throughout the day to reduce work stress and to keep my mind calm and focused. 

I decided to use my fairly frequent restroom breaks as a great time to tack on 1 minute of mindful breathing. This meant that I would start the morning with a 5 minute breathing session, and then have about 5-7 additional 1 minute breathing breaks after I used the restroom. The restrooms breaks provided a trigger for me, which made it easy to keep this habit. 

What Happened 

The 5 minute breathing exercise was successful and beneficial during my 7-day trial. Prior to this week, I would use my short commute to listen to part of a podcast, think about the day, or let my mind wander. Breathing in and out slowing during that time helped me arrive at work feeling calm, focused, and full of gratitude for the day. I initially tried the 4x4 or the box breathing method that was popularized by the Navy Seals. This approach to mindful breathing involves: 

Step 1: Inhale for a 4 count

Step 2: Hold the breathe for a 4 count

Step 3: Exhale the breathe for a 4 count

Step 4: Hold for a 4 count. 

Repeat these steps over and over. 

After trying this a few times, I decided that I didn't care for the approach. I didn't like the feeling of holding my breathe for a 4 count, and so I adapted this method and removed the 4 count holds after exhaling and inhaling. I ended up deciding that I didn't like doing a four count at all, so I just simply slowly breathed in and breathed out without counting. I focused on my breathe going in and out and I found that this method was the most relaxing and successful for me. Each individual will have their preference, and I found it useful to adapt and try different techniques. 

I enjoyed tacking on the quick 1-minute mindful minutes with my restroom breaks. These frequent breaks kept the benefits of mindful breathing with me throughout the day. Since I was already leaving my desk, getting up, and walking to the restroom, it was super simple to take a few moments at this time to breathe and put things in the proper perspective. It is easy to get caught up in work problems and stress, but taking short mindful breathing breaks definitely helped me reduce work stress and worry, and helped me feel great throughout the day. 

I also noticed that I started to take additional mindful breathing breaks throughout the day. For example, instead of feeling impatient at a slow line at the grocery store, I used this as a prized moment to be present and to take a few deep breaths. The bored moments of my past are now becoming mindful breathing moments. Instead of reaching for my phone, I can savor the moment and breathe. 

Conclusion 

My 5 minute + 1 minute mindful breathing plan worked well. It wasn't life changing, but I felt enough positive benefits and I plan to continue this practice. If you have never tried mindful breathing, you might consider a simple technique like this for a week, and see if it does anything for you. If you have a long commute, you might try this for the last 5-10 minutes of your commute. 

I still have a desire to deepen my mindful breathing practice, but for now, this is a good start for me. At some point I hope to sit and breathe for 20-30 minutes or more, but at this busy point in my life, the 5 minute + 1 minute method will have to do.