Welcome to the Optimal Breathing Exercise. For this exercise, we’re going to work on a 5-5 breathing rhythm. Which is a 5 second inhale right into a 5 second exhale, going back into our inhale. There is no pause at the top and bottom of our inhalation and exhalations.
To practice this exercise, we recommend sitting up straight in a chair with your shoulders relaxed. Or lying down on your back with your head slightly propped on a pillow.
This breathing rate sets us at 6 breaths per minute – which is an optimal respiratory rate to help our mind and body enter a state of coherence. Blood flow to the brain increases while the cardiovascular, circulatory, and nervous systems all coordinate to peak efficiency.
This exercise will allow your body and mind to function at their peak – producing some of your greatest thoughts.
We are going to set a timer for 5 minutes. We recommend closing your eyes and following the sounds to perform this exercise.
After the 5 minutes is up. At the bottom of our breath we are going to go into a breath hold.
While holding your breath in retention – focus on keeping your eyes closed and look into the visual field behind your eyelids. Keep your eyes as still as possible and your body relaxed.
After retention, we’ll take in a long smooth sip of air through your nose and hold at the top of the inhale – feeling the oxygen move through the body.
And be sure to show yourself some genuine gratitude for taking the time to improve the quality of your breath and mind.
Enjoy!
