Self Confidence Special - 5 minute boosting breath-work practice
Believing in yourself can be one of the most difficult things for us to do. We spend so much of our time telling others how special and able they are but we often forget to include ourselves and our own capabilities.
Having low self confidence can leave us feeling sad, fatigued and we can build up a lack of belief and trust in what we can do and achieve. A healthy level of self confidence on the other hand can help us to become happier, confident and more successful in everything we do, whether that be personal or professional.
When we become more confident we are able to stop worrying so much so we actually save our precious energy to focus on other things, helping us to feel more alert and full of life.
Often low self confidence has been hard wired into our minds, the good news is that we can train our minds to become less worried and scattered whilst at the same time helping us to become more confident and happy as we delve a little deep into getting to know ourselves.
Once we start to train and calm the mind we regain control of how we feel and how we choose to deal with our emotions. This is a very empowering experience as we become more confident about being in control of our lives, once this begins to happen we will begin to see a change in ourselves be that personally, in our relationships, at work or in our studies. We all have the power to become more confident and it is truly life changing.
5 Minute Confidence Boosting Breath-Work Practice
Practice a little every day to free yourself from poor confidence
This small set of breath techniques is designed to calm the nervous system which will in turn help you to become calmer, happier and more confident.
Abdominal Breathing - 1 minute
Alternate Nostril Breathing - 2 minutes
Holding the breath - 1 minute
Squared breathing - 1 minute.
Abdominal Breathing - 1 Minute
This breathing technique helps you to be in control of your breath which is especially useful in stressful or anxious situation when you are feeling low in confidence.
How to practice
Bring your awareness to your breathing and consciously breathe into the stomach. You may find it easier if you place one hand on the stomach and feel it moving up with each breath. Simply follow each inhale and each exhale.
Alternative Nostril Breathing - 1 Minute (each side)
A fantastic traditional technique that I learn whilst training in the Himalayas. It will calm and stabilise the whole nervous system.
How to practice
Relax your left palm comfortably into your lap and bring your right hand just in front of your face. (Take a look at the photo of me practicing this technique above)
With your right hand, bring your index finger and middle finger to rest between your eyebrows, lightly using them as an anchor. The fingers you will be using are the thumb and ring finger.
Close your right nostril with your right thumb. Inhale through the left nostril slowly and steadily.
Close the left nostril with your ring finger and release the finger from the right nostril, exhale the breath slowly through the right nostril
Repeat breathing in through the left and out through the right for 1 minute.
After 1 minute change sides; Close the left nostril and breath in through the right, close the right nostril and breath out through the left. Continue for another minute.
Hold the Breath (1 minute)
Holding the breath may seem a little odd however this type of breath work is fantastic to gain full mental control. By holding and slowing down the breath you can learn to slow down the activity in your brain leaving you feeling more stable and in control of your emotions.
How to practice
After the last exhale of alternative nostril breathing take a big breath in and completely fill your lings with air. Hold the breath in for 1 minute. If you struggle with holding the breath for this amount of time then simply hold for as long as you can and slowly begin to build it up. If 1 minute seems too easy then hold it for a little longer. Be sensible and listen to your body otherwise you may find yourself feeling dizzy or unwell.
Squared Breathing (1 minute)
Another fantastic technique to stabilise the whole nervous system and calm and control the business of the mind.
How to practice
Breathe in for 4 slow counts
Hold the breath in for 4 slow counts
Breathe out for 4 slow counts
Hold the out breath for 4 slow counts.
If 4 counts is too much lower the counts, if it’s too easy lengthen the counts.
You should always go by the length of time you can comfortably hold the breath AFTER the exhale. How ever many counts you can comfortably hold this exhaled breath use this number to practice the squared breathing technique.
Start practicing this breath-work for 5 minutes every day and increase it as it becomes more familiar. Ideally a 30 minute breath-work session will give you incredible results but if you're new to breath-work techniques then I would suggest just 5 minutes once or twice a day (maybe morning and bedtime) As you practice more you will naturally want to go on for longer as you will be left feeling refreshed, revitalised and confident.
Low self confidence is something that everyone will face at some point or another. If you feel that you are not getting and better or if you begin to feel like your symptoms are getting worse then please talk it through with a health professional.
I love any kind of breathing techniques and I really hope you will enjoy it. I would love for you to give it a go too, even if it’s just to see if you notice the difference in yourself and your confidence. This breath-work can be truly life changing as you grow in confidence and feel more confident in living life to the full.
Love Jen x