What is extended exhale?
Extended exhale breathing simply makes each out-breath longer than the in-breath. There are no holds and no special hand positions, so you can do it on a train, in a meeting or lying in bed without anyone noticing.
How to do it
- 1Breathe in through your nose for 4.
- 2Breathe out slowly through your nose or pursed lips for 6.
- 3Let the next inhale arrive on its own and repeat.
Why it works
Your heart rate naturally slows a little on every exhale. Making the exhale longer gives that slowing more time, which is one reason long-exhale breathing is widely used to settle anxiety.
Tips
- Once 4-6 is easy, try 4-8.
- Pursed lips, as if blowing through a straw, make the exhale easier to slow down.