A simple breathing practice for beginners

If you want one small practice to start with, start with breathing. It needs no equipment, takes two minutes, and can be done at a desk. What follows is a comfortable beginner practice — not a therapy, and not something that will produce a guaranteed result.

A simple way to notice your pattern

Sit upright. Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Breathe normally for around thirty seconds and just observe. If only the upper hand moves noticeably, your breathing is sitting mostly in the chest. That is common, especially during a busy day, and it is something you can work with gently.

The practice

• Inhale through the nose for a comfortable count of four, letting the lower ribs and belly expand.
• Exhale through the nose for a count of six, slightly longer than the inhale.
• Keep both counts easy. If four and six feel strained, try three and four.
• Continue for around two minutes, once or twice a day.

Keeping it safe

Breathing practices should feel calm rather than effortful. Stop if you become light-headed, breathless or anxious, and return to normal breathing. If you have a respiratory or cardiac condition, are pregnant, or have a history of panic attacks, check with your doctor first and let your teacher know so the practice can be adapted.

What to expect

People respond differently. Some notice they feel a little steadier after a session; others notice nothing at first and find it becomes more useful with repetition. We would rather say that plainly than promise a specific change on a specific schedule. Treat it as a small daily habit, not a fix.

Where breathing fits in a class

In Yog Jivan classes, breathing practice is taught alongside movement rather than as an add-on, and a live teacher can hear and see whether you are straining. That feedback is the main reason people join a live class instead of following a recording.