Y4PS Breath Practice Two: Coherent Breath + Extended Exhale

Prepare

1. Sit in any comfortable, upright posture on a chair or the floor
2. Lift the crown of your head a little bit to ensure that your spine is long
3. Rest your hands comfortably on your lap, palms up or down
4. Before you practice each technique, take a “falling out” breath: a single full inhale through the nose, followed by a relaxing siiiiiiiigh out through the mouth  
5. As you sigh out the breath, relax anywhere in your body where you feel excess effort or tension

Technique 2: Coherent Breath + Extended Exhale

This technique builds on the Coherent Breath by adding an elongated exhale. This small, but strategic, shift in the exhale can help with in-the-moment anxiety and stress reduction because the extended exhale has the potential to induce a relaxation response. Watch the video below or read on for written instructions.

Read these instructions below fully on how to master the Coherent Breath plus the Extended Exhale technique, and then practice.

1. Breathing in and out through your nose, notice the pace of your breath

2. Taking your time, count “1, 2, 3, 4” on the inhale, and “1, 2, 3, 4, 5” on the exhale, comfortably extending the length of the exhale by at least one full count

3. Let each inhale be comfortably full and deep, without any extra effort

4. Let each exhale empty fully, without any extra effort

5. Continue to breathe in this manner for 5 minutes; optionally, you can experiment with extending the exhale to 6, 7, or even 8 counts, so long as you are still breathing comfortably and easily

6. Return to breathing without counting and notice how you feel in your body and mind

Journal Y4PS Breath Technique 2: The Coherent Breath + Extended Exhale Journal Questions

1. What did you notice about this Extended Exhale Breath practice?
2. What did you feel in your body/mind before the practice? After the practice?