How to Use Yoga Breathing to Reduce Stress

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By Sava Tang Alcantara
eHow Contributing Writer

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Yoga has many different breathing techniques to help bring about specific changes in the body. To reduce stress, nose-breathing is an easy way to reestablish an evenness breathing and in the mind.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

A quiet place
Chair (optional)

How To Use Yoga Breathing To Reduce Stress

Step 1

Sit in a comfortable way so that your spine is elongated. Sit in a chair, or cross-legged or against a wall, where your lower back is supported.
Step 2

Close your eyes. With your thumb, close off the right nostril as you inhale through the left nostril. Switch nostrils.
Step 3

Inhale through the right nostril, hold the breath as you close off the right nostril and exhale through the left nostril. Repeat. Start with 10 easy rounds without any strain. If you experience any dizziness, light headedness, or feel any strain, rest, as you may be trying to hard or forcing your breath.
Step 4

This breath work can be done daily as a way to reduce stress. In yoga, it is a way to balance lunar (ida) and solar (pingala) energies that are constantly circulating through the body.