Breathing for Anxiety: 4 Types of Breathing

Identifying your breathing pattern and correcting it is the first step to breathe for anxiety and depression.

Breathing patterns reflect emotions so imagine if we were breathing as if we had anxiety for the last 20 years.

What do you think that does to the body and mind?

There are 2 good breathing patterns and 2 bad breathing patterns.

Due to bad posture, tension, restrictive clothing, and lack of training, majority of us forget our natural breathing and adopt the 2 bad types of breathings instead.

This post will give you the knowledge to cultivate awareness of your breathing patterns. All breathing should be done through the Nostrils NOT the mouth.

1. Chest Breathing

Chest Breathing is considered shallow breathing and is often taught by yoga teachers, unfortunately.

Shallow breathing doesn’t allow the body to intake rich oxygen in fact, body takes in less oxygen. This puts pressure on your lungs and rest of your body.

This breathing only focuses on a rising chest only filling the upper part of the lungs with no diaphragmatic engagement.

This pressure and lack of oxygen intake increases the chance for anxiety and depression.

In Natural breathing, you will feel the belly expanding out as you inhale.

Chest breathing, is the opposite of Abdominal Breathing.

2. Shoulder Breathing

Shoulder Breathing is similar to Chest Breathing and is also a bad type of breathing that is taught by many yoga teachers, unfortunately.

Their is a belief that, by lifting up the shoulders, we are “inhaling” more oxygen.

You may see instructors ask you to inhale while lifting shoulders or arms for relaxation or Pranayama.

The first vinyasa movement calls for an inhale while raising the arms straight up (Ashtanga) and stretching back (Hatha).

I see why this movement can convince someone that they are intaking more oxygen but in reality, the purpose of this initial vinyasa movement is to sync breath and body as well as opening the chest.

Shoulder Breathing is also shallow breathing and reverse to Abdominal Breathing. This type of breathing also puts pressure on the lungs and can increase anxiety and depression.

3. Abdominal Breathing

Abdominal Breathing is our natural way of breathing that engages our diaphragm. This method of breathing is our natural breathing pattern assigned to us at birth until life taught us bad habits.

The easiest way to understand this is:

When inhaling – Belly expands outwards, diaphragm pushes down; imagining as if you were filling the belly with air.
When exhaling – Belly pushes inwards and diaphragm upwards; imagining all air leaving the body.

With this in mind, just keep your breathing natural and follow The 8 Qualities of Breathing to better understand this rhythm.

Abdominal Breathing should mindfully be part of our natural breathing pattern in order unconsciously breathe quality even when we sleep and not need a mouth tape.

Abdominal Breathing will reduce anxiety and depression by bring the body back to its natural vibration and intaking more rich oxygen in the process.

With practice, you will begin to feel the calming effects of this breathing on your body and mind.

4. Yogic Breathing

This advanced breathing technique, according to Swami Satyananda, combines 3 detailed types of breathing:

Abdominal – using diaphragm and abdominal muscles. Advanced practitioners can apply the 3 bandhas after exhale.

Thoracic & Clavicular – involve physically expanding the lower and upper part of the rib cage like wings since the costal cartilage separating the sternum and ribs can be flexed and stretched.

Training this cartilage allows the lungs to expand more than normal using 80%-90% Lung Capacity.

Yogic Breathing maximizes inhalation and exhalation.

It’s purpose is to gain control of the breath and correct poor breathing habits and increase oxygen intake.

This technique is useful in situations with high stress or anger for calming nerves.

This Yogic breathing can be added to the daily yoga routine but, do not need to practice continuously so that you do not put stress on your lungs.

Abdominal Breathing should be your daily choice.

Conclusion

Overall, most of us have not been mindful of the way we breathe. Reflect and observe your breathing pattern to see which type you fall under.

Adopt Abdominal Breathing as your daily breathing pattern and watch the changes in your life. I highly recommend to breathe strictly through your nostrils as this aids in relaxation.

At first, Nostril breathing might be difficult because of mucus. Thats only there because the air passage has barely been used and of course the mucus forming foods we eat.

Once identifying your breathing pattern, I recommend further advancing in pranayama by learning Kapalbhati and Bhastrika breathing.

Thank you and I hope these post was able to help you on your breath work journey.