Belly Breathing for Mindfulness

Assess your current breathing pattern. Notice if your chest and shoulders rise during inhalation.

“Did your shoulders rise and your chest go out? This is most people's response but it is incorrect.”

Learn about the role of the diaphragm in belly breathing.

“When we breathe in deeply our shoulders should stay still and our stomachs should go out. This is because our diaphragm, a muscle under our lungs and above our stomachs flattens and pushes out our stomach area which is why we call it belly breathing.”

Place your hands on your belly to feel the movement.

“Put your hands on your belly.”

Imagine a balloon in your belly.

“Imagine you have a balloon in there and when you breathe in you're filling the balloon up with air and making your belly blow up.”

Inhale deeply through your nose, filling your belly.

“Breathe in through your nose fill the balloon up with air.”

Exhale slowly through your mouth, deflating the balloon.

“Breathe out of your mouth let the air out of the balloon let's keep going in through your nose now breathe out through your mouth and flatten the balloon in your stomach.”

Keep your back and shoulders still.

“Keep your back and your shoulders still nowhere apart from your stomach and chest should be moving.”

Repeat the breathing cycle several times.

“Breathe in and breathe out in through your nose and out through your mouth breathe in and breathe out one more time in and last time out.”

Practice belly breathing in various situations.

“You can do your belly breathing at any time in any place even a couple of belly breaths will calm you down wherever you are.”

Use belly breathing when feeling worried.

“Try it whenever you next feel worried.”