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Smart breathing techniques that can change your life

by Erica Smith | COMMENT

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At 2:33 a.m., when you're overthinking ... everything Tired of counting sheep yet? Focus on making your exhales longer than your inhales to calm the body and reduce tension, which can lull your insomniac self back to sleep. Or, next time you're staring at the cobwebs on your ceiling at 2 a.m., try alternate nostril breathing (aka yoga breathing exercise Nadi Shodhan):

• Sit up in a comfortable position. Take your right hand, palm facing toward you, fingers extended, and bend your pointer and middle finger so they curl into your palm.
• Rest your ring finger near your left nostril and your thumb near your right. Take a big breath in and a big breath out. Then, close off the right nostril with your thumb and inhale through the left nostril fully for a count of four. At the top of that breath, close off the left nostril with your ring finger, hold and retain the breath for a count of four, and then release the right nostril and exhale for a count of four.
• Inhale deeply for a count of four through the right nostril, close it off, hold and retain the breath for a count of four, and then release the left nostril as you exhale completely through it for a count of four. Inhale deeply through the left, and repeating the cycle.

Repeat until you feel more relaxed -- this style of breathing balancing both sides of your brain to calm your nervous system.

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