12 Breathing Exercises To Help You Relax In Minutes

If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, take some time out of your day to do simple breathing exercises. Success & Wellness Coach Teresa Kay-Aba Kennedy shared two techniques for Reader’s Digest:

Simple equal breath

Inhale through your nose for four counts, and then exhale through your nose for four counts. Teresa Kay-Aba Kennedy, president and CEO of Power Living Enterprises, recommends that you increase the count per breath (from four to six or eight) over time. This breathing exercise will help to reduce stress and calm your mind. Use these magic phrases to instantly ease your anxiety.

Transformational Breath

Kennedy recommends the transformation breath for people looking to transform their mind and body by inhaling the positive and exhaling the negative. Start by consciously inhaling through your nose; observe the expansion of your belly. Then exhale slowly through the nose, releasing your belly. “Inhale energy, exhale tension. Inhale strength, exhale fear. Inhale joy, exhale sadness. Inhale confidence, exhale self-doubt. Inhale the present, exhale the past,” says Kennedy. “With every inhalation, bring into your being an attribute of greatness and feel yourself being strengthened.”

Originally published on October 2, 2018. Read the full article on the Reader’s Digest blog and get all 12 techniques.

Teresa Kay-Aba Kennedy is a Harvard Business School-trained Strategist, Mind-Body Expert, Award-Winning Author, Keynote Speaker and Activist.  She is Founder & CEO of Power Living and creator of Elder Dignity.  Selected as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, her mission is to unleash human potential and create a more just and sustainable world.