Three Mindfulness And Breathing Exercises: That You Can Do Anytime!

We all know that daily exercise and physical activity is important for our overall health and wellness. We need aerobic exercise, strength training, and mobility- and don’t forget adding in that balance component! It may seem overwhelming at times but many exercises are multi-component. I have discussed some of these before and if you are interested you may like to take a look at these articles:

Chair Yoga For Cardio

Chair Yoga And Functional Strength 

Building An Exercise Habit

But, sometimes we overlook the simplest action that can have a significant impact on our overall health- both physical and mental. Breathing! I love talking about breathing because it can have a huge impact on how we feel. Now, you may know that there are a multitude of breathing techniques in yoga practice. I have touched on a few in the past and there are some simple breathing techniques that are great for beginners, as well as some that may take a bit more practice.

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But today I want to focus on 3 simple breathing exercises that we can do right from our chair with no prior yoga experience that can change how we feel both mentally and physically. These exercises are nothing “fancy” – but don’t underestimate how effective they can be with regular practice.

If you would like some more information on how we can use breathing to help regulate our nervous system, you may be interested in Breathing For Better Mobility.

Keep reading for 3 simple mindfulness and breathing exercises we can do right from our chair. For all three of these exercises, be sure to find a nice supported position in your chair. You may need to add some support (or yoga blocks) under the feet if they are not touching the ground. You can sit forward in your chair or sit all the way back- your choice. Lengthen through the spine, broaden through the chest, release the shoulders down, engage the core, and relax the muscles in the face and jaw

Not all exercises will be right for everyone. As always, be sure to consult with your healthcare provider before starting this or any exercise program and always stop immediately if you experience pain, shortness of breath, or dizziness.

1. Diaphragmatic Breathing

This breathing exercise can be done anytime that we feel we need a reset. This exercise can help to strengthen the diaphragm and slow our breathing rate. It can help to calm our nervous system, get a better exchange of oxygen, and help us to calm our minds. It can be used as a moment of grounding for your day- or at the beginning of a chair yoga (or any type of yoga) practice. You can also do this lying down or standing up as well.

• Begin seated with a long spine, feet planted firmly on the ground
• (Option to also practice this lying down or standing)
• Shoulders are relaxed down away from the ears and the chest is open
• Place one hand on your chest and the other hand on your belly
• Take a nice slow inhale through your nose as the belly moves out and you feel your hand rise
• The hand on the chest should stay as still as possible
• Take a long exhale as you feel the belly fall- That’s it!
• Repeat 3-5 times or as desired
• Focus on breathing deep into the belly as the chest stays calm

2. Lateral Breath 

This simple breathing exercise, lateral breathing (or intercostal breathing) involves the lateral expansion of the rib cage. These intercostal muscles run between the ribs and are components of our chest wall, helping to form and move our chest wall as we inhale and exhale. This expansion is important for getting that nice full  inhale.

(Optional hand placement with elbows bent and placed on the outer ribs)

• Begin seated with a long spine, feet planted firmly on the ground
• (Option to also practice this lying down or standing up)
• Shoulders are relaxed down away from the ears and the chest is open
• Place your hands on each side of the outer ribs
• Take a nice deep inhale as you feel the ribs expand out to the sides
• Take a long exhale as you feel the ribs contract back to neutral
• Repeat 3-5 times or as desired

3. Row

Now that we have brought some awareness to and deepened our breath, we can add some movement. This simple exercise helps us to engage the core, focus on our posture, and help us to bring breath awareness with movement. This exercise also allows us to open through the chest and lengthen the spine- both actions that help improve our breathing efficiency

• Begin seated with a long spine, feet planted firmly on the ground
• Lengthen from the base of the spine to the crown of the head and bring awareness to the core
• Relax the arms down by your sides with the palms facing the body
• Inhale to raise the arms up to shoulder height
• Exhale as you bend the elbows and bring the hands back by the outer ribs – gently bring the shoulders blades towards one another
• Keep the neck neutral and the muscles in the face relaxed
• Inhale to reach the arms forward
• Exhale to gently pull back
• Repeat 3-5 times or as desired as you move with the breath
• On an exhale, gently release the arms back by your sides

You may also be interested in this simple mindfulness activity: Five Finger Breathing

• Place the index finger of one hand at the base of the thumb on the opposite hand
• As you slowly inhale, trace along the outer edge of the thumb
• As you slowly exhale, trace along the inner edge of the thumb
• Repeat with the other four fingers
• You may choose to go in the opposite direction and back to the thumb
• Repeat on the other hand as desired
• Try to move slowly as you take a long inhale and a longer exhale 

Simple Tips To Help You Get Started With Mindfulness And Breathing Exercises

So, the above simple exercises can help you get started and to start to feel the positive effects of mindfulness and breathing exercises. If you want to explore further, you may be interested in these resources:

 Practicing Mindfulness : 75 Essential Meditations To Reduce Stress (Book)

7 Deep Breathing Exercises To Help You Calm Anxiety (Daily Calm)

Hands On Meditation (YouTube Channel) Guided Meditations And Breathing Exercises

Or, keep reading for some tips that can help us to get started with adding in some mindfulness and breathing exercises to our normal daily routine.

1. Set A Specific Time

We can choose a specific time each day for our mindfulness and breathing exercises. First thing in the morning can be a great way to start the day with a sense of calm. Before bed is also a good option to help the body and mind relax to allow for more restful sleep.

2. Start Small

As with any practice, it can be helpful to start small. We can begin with a short duration of 2-3 minutes a day. Then, we can gradually increase the time as we become more comfortable with the practice and add to our list of desired exercises.

3. Find A Quiet Space

If we really want to focus on our breathing, choosing a quiet and comfortable place where we won’t be disturbed can be helpful. Then, we can practice with minimal distractions and get the most out of our precious time.

4. Use A Guide

When we are just starting out, it can be helpful to have some guidance. Then, once we find what works for us and learn some techniques, we can follow our own lead. We can follow a guided breathing exercise app or video that can provide us with some structure and keep us on track- see those resources above for some ideas.

5. Be Consistent

Consistency is really what helps build that habit- and any results that we may be searching for. Try to practice daily, even if for only a minute or two. That will eventually help us to build a habit and we may find that it will just come naturally. Just bringing some awareness to our breath can be enough (and we can do that anywhere).

6. Be Patient

Remember that it does take time to develop a new habit. We can be patient and kind to ourselves here. Don’t get discouraged if you get out of the routine- just pick it back up as soon as you can. There is no all or nothing here!

7. Track Your Progress

We may find it helpful to keep a journal or use a habit-tracking app to monitor our progress. This can provide us with motivation and help us to see how far we have come. You may be interested in this simple daily habit tracker notebook.

8. Combine The Practice With Other Activities

We can pair our mindfulness and breathing exercises with our other daily activities. It could be other forms of exercise like walking, stretching, or yoga. Or, we can incorporate our breathing exercises, breath awareness, or any other mindfulness exercise we are practicing into a daily task. Think- washing dishes, folding laundry,  or making dinner.

9. Listen To Your Body

With anything that we do, it is important that we pay attention to how we feel during and after exercises. We can adjust our practice as needed to ensure it remains comfortable and beneficial for us. This can mean decreasing or increasing the intensity.

10. Reward Yourself

Finally, if it works for you, we can celebrate our consistency and progress with small rewards. This can help us to reinforce the habit and make it more enjoyable!

There are many beautiful handmade jewelry options that inspire us to breathe, you may be interested in this Breathe Necklace on Etsy

I hope that you found one or two things that resonated with you- or that sparked your interest to explore further. Let me know in the comments below!

Want More?

You may be interested in Mindfulness For Seniors

Try a 21 Day Mindfulness Challenge full of simple daily tasks

If you are interested in getting started with a chair yoga practice, you may enjoy the 7 Day Challenge

You may enjoy this simple Daily Gratitude Notebook or this Daily Journal Notebook

Take a look at The Peaceful Chair Etsy Shop for health and wellness related printable pages and more

Or, take a look at The Peaceful Chair You Tube Channel for seated chair yoga sequences

Finally, I invite you to sign up for the Monthly Email Newsletter to stay up to date on the latest blog posts and videos!

Namaste!

Disclaimer: The Peaceful Chair and thepeacefulchair.com strongly recommends that you consult with your physician before starting this or any exercise program.The information provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not to be used in place of medical advice or information from your healthcare provider. Neither The Peaceful Chair, the peacefulchair.com, nor any of its contributors shall be held liable for any improper or incorrect use of the information described and/or contained herein and assumes no responsibility for anyone’s use of the information contained in any links, videos, or any content on this website.