Keep each breath soft and no bigger than usual. This is about breathing lower, not deeper. If you feel lightheaded, tingly, or short of breath, take your hands away and breathe normally until it passes. If paying attention to your breathing makes you more anxious, or brings on a feeling of panic, open your eyes, let the breath do what it wants, and rest your attention on your feet or your hands instead, or try a different exercise. If you have asthma, COPD, or a heart condition, keep to what feels easy, and follow any breathing advice your own doctor has given you. If you’re pregnant, sit propped up or lie on your side rather than flat on your back, and let your belly move only as much as is comfortable.

Narration

Female voiceMale voice

Read along

1. Sit back or lie down, whichever is easier. If you’re lying down, you can bend your knees and rest your feet flat.
2. Rest one hand flat on your chest and the other on your belly, just below your ribs. Let your shoulders drop.
3. Breathe the way you usually do for a few breaths, through your nose if you can. Notice which hand moves more. Either is fine for now.
4. On the next breath in, let the air go low, so your belly rises under your hand. The hand on your chest stays fairly still.
5. As you breathe out, let your belly sink back on its own. There’s no need to push the air out.
6. Keep the breaths small and slow. Moving the belly takes a relaxed breath, not a big one.
7. If your chest takes over, that’s common, especially at first. Soften your shoulders and let the next breath go low again.
8. Stay with the rise and fall under your lower hand. Let the breath find its own pace. There’s nothing to count.
9. When your mind wanders, the hand on your belly is an easy place to come back to.
10. If your arms get tired, let them rest at your sides. You can still feel your belly move without them.
11. Notice the small pause after each breath out, before the next breath comes in by itself.
12. Let the breath go back to its own way of moving. Take your hands away when you’re ready, and notice how you feel.
13. You can find this breath again any time with a hand resting on your belly.

---

Everyday Insight’s tools are for education and personal reflection. They are not therapy or medical care, and they are not for emergencies. In an emergency, call 911. If you are in crisis in the United States, call or text 988.