You just breathe without thinking , right?
Yes, and you can also choose from a variety of breathing techniques in the moment based on your need. Let me explain.
If you feel sluggish, you might click here to choose Breath of Fire to bring more energy into the body.
Or maybe try out Wim Hoff’s breathwork practice. It combines deep, rhythmic inhalations and exhalations followed by breath retention and is often practiced in conjunction with cold exposure and meditation. Click here for a tutorial on this practice and then click here to help guide you when you are ready to practice.
If you feel anxious, you might choose Box Breath to calm the system down. Just 10 minutes at a sitting helps balance your nervous system and promotes calm.
To promote overall balance in your nervous system, you might choose 4,7,8 breath. Some proponents of this practice say it can help you when you wake up in the middle of the night to get back to sleep. You do this breath practice 5 minutes at a time three times a day. Watch this video as well.
In the videos he says two times a day or four cycles. Disregard that.
He recorded those videos before he did another study. The new “dosage” is 5 minutes at a time, three times a day.
And, do NOT time share: just pause and breathe if you can. And notice, how do you feel, what body sensations do you experience, what changes happen?
In my experience, it is hit or miss with getting back to sleep. Yet, it makes sense to keep doing the breathwork during those mid-night awakenings to give you mind something neutral to focus on.
If you would like to learn more about a variety of breath practices for your consideration, check out this engaging Ted Talk with Lucas Rockwood.