One of the most powerful resources that we have at our disposal is our breath. We often don't give this much thought. We understand that breath is necessary for our survival. The thing we don't take advantage of is how to use our breath to control how we feel.

If you want to change your state one of the fastest, if not the fastest way to do this is working with the breath. In literally a few seconds of intentional breathing, we can completely change how we feel. 

Here are a few ways you can use the breath:

*To connect to the present moment. Whenever you connect to the breath you are aware of what is happening at this moment. If you notice yourself replaying the past or worrying about the future, simply bring yourself back to the present by noticing the breath.

*Dealing with high-pressure situations. This is valuable in sports such as basketball when you are in a late-game situation at the free-throw line to connect to the breath to relax. You can use this in the business world such as when you are about to do a presentation to take 20 seconds to connect to and observe your breath.

*In emergency situations. One thing you will often see doctors, nurses, or first responders do in an emergency is to ask the person to take a few deep breaths. This is calming them down and bringing their attention to their breath rather than worrying about the situation. It is far better to do this rather than telling the person to 'calm down' or 'relax.'

*When feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or scattered. Connecting to the breath in these situations can calm your nervous system and allow you to get grounded. 

*To create energy. You may think of the breath as a way to calm down. This is true but it can also be used to create energy. See breathing technique below on breath of fire. 

*Prevention. You can also use it as a preventative measure as part of your daily routine to improve your overall health.

There are many different breathing techniques out there. Here are 6 that I use for myself and my clients.

1. Counting the breath. The one that I will use most often is an inhale for 4, hold for 4, and exhale for 6. There are different variations of the count and you can use what works best for you. Extending the exhale helps calm the body.

2. Box breathing. This is another form of counting and it is an inhale of 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, and hold for 4. Then repeating this cycle. 

3. Deep sighs. For this take a deep inhale through the nose and then let a sigh out of the mouth. Allow yourself to make a noise when you exhale and release any tension that you are holding onto.

4. Diaphragm breathing or belly breathing. For this, you can place one hand on your stomach and notice your hand rising on the inhale and falling on the exhale. This is reminding us to breathe deeper as we tend to breathe shallow, especially when we are stressed. 

5. Alternate nostril breathing. This is a great technique to get yourself centered. Here is a video that explains this technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VwufJrUhic&t=292s

6. Breath of fire. This is a technique to generate warmth and energy in the body. Here is a video that explains this technique https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQS4Ad-16vE

To regulate your state you can do one of these techniques or simply watch and observe your natural breath. I'd recommend choosing one of these above to get started and then to experiment and see what you enjoy and what works best for you.