Abdominal breathing

​Abdominal breathing (also known as Diaphragmatic breathing) reduces stress levels and starts working towards calming a busy mind. It’s a helpful practice for getting used to slowing down. It can be a daily practice, a sleep aid or a coping mechanism in times of immediate stress. 

• Get into a comfortable position. Close your eyes and bring your attention to your body and breathing.

• Breathe in and out through your nose.

• Place one hand gently on your upper chest and the other hand on your abdomen, right below your navel. Keep breathing as you normally do - you'll probably notice that your chest-hand is rising and falling more than your tummy-hand. 

• As you breathe in and out through your nose, focus on shifting your breathing so that you can feel the rise and fall in your abdomen more than in your chest. In other words, make the hand that rests on your tummy move more than the hand on your chest. So, when you breathe in, puff your belly out. Squeeze the tummy muscles in, to push the breathe out.​