Breathing to Boost Focus

Powerful 2-Minute Technique

M ost breathing practices are designed to aggressively stimulate your sympathetic

nervous system to wake you up; or they go the other direction, upregulating the
parasympathetic branch of your nervous system to put you to sleep. What we often need most
is something in the middle, what I like to call water category or coherent breathing practices.
Below is a simple water category, alternate nostril practice to improve your
concentration. If you’re overstimulated, it will calm you down, if you’re low on energy it can
help to give you a lift. It’s a perfect go-to practice midday when you’re struggling to focus on
an important project, and 10 rounds of breathing takes just two minutes. Remember,
consistency amplifies the efficacy of breathing practices, so the more you make this part of
your concentration routine, the more notable the results.

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Ocean Breathing
Ocean Breathing, also known as Ujjayi breathing, sounds like Darth Vader or a whisper that
originates in the back of your throat. This practice oscillates your throat and by proxy, your
vagus nerve for a self-soothing effect.

• Hold your hand in front of your face as if it were a mirror

• Open your mouth, fog up the imagined mirror by exhaling with a “ha ha” sound
• Now inhale with the same “ha ha” whisper sound
• Finally, close your mouth, breathe through your nose only, but continue to make that
“ha ha” whisper sound both on the inhale and the exhale
• You’ll find the exhale easy, but the inhale takes some practice to learn

Pranayama Mudra
This nostril closing technique will feel a little clunky at first, but you will get the hang of it,
and it will enhance your breathing practice.

• Take your right hand and pull your first two fingers to your palm
• Point your last two fingers upwards
• Your thumb controls your right nostril
• Your ring finger controls your left
• Close your right nostril and alternate as you work through the practice below

Alternate Nostril Breathing

This water category practice is designed to calm you down if you’re over-stimulated, and to
boost your energy if you’re feeling lethargic. Since your right nostril is correlated with your
sympathetic nervous system and your left with your parasympathetic, this practice works
toward that balance by alternating between right and left.

• Using Ocean Breathing throughout, start by closing your right nostril

• Close your right nostril
• Inhale through your left nostril 1-2-3-4
• Close your left nostril
• Exhale through your right nostril 4-3-2-1

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 • Close your left nostril
• Inhale through your right nostril 1-2-3-4
• Each inhale and exhale = 1 round
• Repeat for a total of 10 rounds

SAFETY DISCLAIMER - if you have high blood pressure, heart disease,

glaucoma, or a pulmonary condition, please check with your doctor before starting
any breathing practices.

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